The Washington Commanders are saying goodbye to William Jackson III.
According to NFL Network, the Commanders are trading Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal is expected to include a late-round pick swap.
Jackson was rumored to be on the trade block for weeks after being pulled during the team's Week 5 game against the Tennessee Titans, and now those rumors have proven to be true.
The Commanders were ready to move on from Jackson that the team might have been willing to release the seven-year veteran if he did not have a trade partner. However, the Steelers stepped up and acquired him.
Jackson signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract with Washington in the 2021 offseason, but never lived up to expectations from his hefty deal in free agency.
With Jackson gone, second-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste is expected to start alongside veteran Kendall Fuller. St-Juste has started each of the past three games in Jackson's absence and the Commanders have won every contest in that span.
The Steelers have proven to be one of the busier teams ahead of the trade deadline. Earlier on Tuesday, the team sent third-year wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears, receiving a second-round pick in return. Now, the team adds Jackson to help a secondary that surrendered four touchdowns to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
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