Free agency is near for the Detroit Lions. As I type this sentence, we're 35 days away from the NFL opening up the negotiating window for teams and the players agents on March 11th. Will Jonah Jackson make it to that day or will the Lions get a deal done with him before that?
That's really going to be the big free agent question for the Lions this year. While they have other guys they'd probably like to keep, those deals seem more likely to be done than not done. This one is completely up in the air.
So let's do this thing like Ted Mosby. we'll break out the yellow legal pad and do a pros and cons on the whole thing. Then I'll make my own ruling and let you make yours. Let's start with the pros.
Pros
The pros to start off are pretty easy. Jackson is just 27-years-old. The Lions could lock him down and have their left guard spot presumably filled for many years. Jackson also has a Pro Bowl nod under his belt. So he's played very well in the past.
Jackson was very good in 2021 and 2022. He allowed four sacks combined in those seasons and was pretty good in all elements of his game. Especially the run block area where PFF gave him grades in the 70's for both years.
Jackson also has three seasons in the Lions current scheme and he's worked with offensive line coach Hank Fraley his entire career. So you don't have to worry about bringing in a new guy and hope he can pick everything up fast.
Cons
You have start off with injuries. There's been a lot of them. Just this season alone, Jackson had three periods of time in which he missed games with injuries. Jackson missed five regular season games and then missed the NFC Championship game in the playoffs.
This wasn't just a 2023 thing. Jackson missed four games during the 2022 season as well. He's officially at the point where it feels risky to sign him to a deal if you're going to have to worry about him missing time going forward.
There would be some redemption here if his play didn't suffer as well, but Jackson had the worst year of his career. He allowed 24 pressures, 2 sacks, eight quarterback hits and 14 hurries on just 758 snaps this year. He posted a career low run blocking grade of 58.2 after that was his strong suit the last two seasons. He did improve in pass rushing a bit, but not by much. He went from a 53 grade in 2022 to a 62.7 grade in 2023.
My ruling
It's hard to say goodbye to a player that really did give this team some good years, but I don't know how you could look past missing 10 games in two seasons and the declining play. I think you take your chances in the draft with one of the many decent guards that will be available. If the Lions do bring back Jackson, it will likely be on a team friendly deal and they'll be hoping that 2023 was just an anomaly.
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