Eddie Jackson Reveals Why He Desperately Wants To Stay In Chicago

Eddie Jackson was in the midst of the best season of his career in 2022. He looked like the All-Pro player he was back in 2018. Then one wrong step on the notorious MetLife Stadium turf and he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot. While it won't require surgery, his season is over. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Jackson. He hates missing games, but more than that, he wants to be on the field to witness what is unfolding with this team. The Chicago Bears aren't winning games right now, but anybody with common sense can see something taking shape.

Multiple young players are asserting themselves on defense. Jaquan Brisker already looks like a stud. Kyler Gordon is improving. Jack Sanborn looks like a steal. If the Bears can put together a more effective defensive line, that secondary has a chance to be one of the best in the NFL once Jackson is back healthy. He told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune as much.

“It’s out of my control, but I am definitely excited for what the future holds for us,” Jackson said. “We know we are a young team. You can kind of see everything coming together. You just see the type of pieces we have, and it’s like, man, next year is going to be special.

“That is something I would love to be a part of, continue to build with these guys and just see where it takes us. The future is looking bright for sure.”

However, it is beyond obvious where his optimism really comes from.

Jackson turned 29 years old on December 10th. He's reaching the tail end of his prime. During most of his career, he's had to live life without anything resembling a capable quarterback. That has drastically changed thanks to the ascent of Justin Fields. Jackson can sense something building at Halas Hall. He is desperate to stick around long enough to see it unfold.

“We used to always pray, you know, ‘Put up 20-some points,’” Jackson said. “Now, we put up 20-some, 30 points. It’s like, ‘Man, this is what we dreamed about.’

“Now it’s time for us on defense to go capitalize off that. We’ve just got to stop letting Justin (Fields) do everything. Defense, we’ve got to step up, go out there and make plays, hold people to less points.”

Eddie Jackson doesn't want to miss the ride.

He knows the Bears are now on a trajectory that can lead to a championship. Fields is an elite talent at quarterback. He's carried that offense to way more success than it deserves. If GM Ryan Poles can put a better supporting cast around him, there is no telling how much better he'll get. Presuming he and Matt Eberflus can also improve the defense at the same time, everything points to this team winning a lot more games in the near future. Jackson got a taste of it in 2018. He knew how close the Bears were back then. They were a quarterback away. Now they finally have one.

It would be incredibly bittersweet if he left the organization right as they got the guy that can make them a perennial contender. Eddie Jackson wants to be around when the fun begins. That is why his comeback season was remarkably well-timed. If he'd had another of his down years like 2020 and 2021, there is a strong possibility Poles would've cut or traded him next off-season. As it stands, they will want him back next year for obvious reasons. His playmaking skills aren't something you throw away. He'll get his wish.