The Lions have quite the hole to fill on their offensive line.
Jonah Jackson, who started 57 games for Detroit at guard over the last four seasons and was a Pro Bowler in 2021, is headed to the Rams on a three-year, $51 million deal that includes $34 million guaranteed, per the NFL Network.
A third-round pick of the Lions in 2020, Jackson grew into a stalwart left guard in Detroit. His play slipped a bit last season as he dealt with ankle, finger and wrist injuries and eventually a season-ending knee injury that he suffered in the playoffs, but he was a consistent force for the Lions' stout rushing attack.
In LA, Jackson will join an offensive line that recently re-signed fellow guard Kevin Dotson to a three-year, $48 million contract. And he will once again be responsible for protecting Matthew Stafford, the quarterback with whom he started his career in Detroit.
Jackson's $17 million annual salary is now tied for seventh in the NFL among guards, with Elgton Jenkins of the Packers. He played his first four seasons with the Lions on a rookie deal worth about $1.2 million per year. He said at the start of last season that "I'd love to retire a Lion," but knew that it wasn't promised.
Detroit only has so much cap space to retain a lot of good players, both now and in the years ahead, and someone was going to be left out by the math.
Coming off a trip to the NFC title game, the Lions will have to find Jackson's replacement in free agency or in the draft or hope that an in-house option like Kayode Awosika, who started three games in Jackson's stead and a fourth in the playoffs last season, is capable of doing the job.
Detroit did re-sign guard Graham Glasgow on Monday to a three-year, $20 million deal, ensuring that Jackson will be the only departure from one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.