Broncos make another solid transaction to strengthen the defense
The Denver Broncos are going to stay as the home for safety Kareem Jackson.
For the second consecutive year, Kareem Jackson sat on the free-agent market for quite some time before being re-signed by the Broncos. The two sides reached an agreement on a new one-year deal on Thursday.
The move reunites Jackson with Justin Simmons in the defensive backfield, allowing the Broncos to keep one of the best safety tandems in the league. Along with Melvin Gordon and Bryce Callahan, Jackson was one of a handful of Broncos free agents still looking for a new contract.
Kareem Jackson will enter his fourth season with the Broncos
Jackson will turn 34 years old on Sunday and will be entering his fourth season with the Broncos after spending nine seasons with the Houston Texans, the team that made him a first-round pick in 2010.
Production has never been a question with Jackson but he has likely been looking for a long-term deal the past couple of seasons only to settle for the one-year offers the Broncos are making. It is a great deal for Denver, as Jackson will stay around for just $5 million in 2022.
This also allows the team to bring second-year safety Caden Sterns along a bit more slowly in his development. If Jackson was not re-signed, he likely would have been thrust into a starting role.
Under Vic Fangio, the Broncos were solid on defense. General manager George Paton has done a good job of retaining the defense that was in place and that was what made this such a crucial move for the team.
It comes late in free agency but there’s not much to dislike about the deal. Denver keeps a good, productive piece of the defense that young safeties like Sterns and Jamar Johnson can sponge off of.
However, if it seemed that there was not much of a market for Jackson’s services, that may not exactly be the case. It seems that the Pittsburgh Steelers were hot in pursuit but Paton was able to thwart their attempt.
Next. Jerry Jeudy is out of excuses. dark
The team will now need to decide on retaining the services of Gordon and Callahan as the 2022 NFL Draft swiftly approaches.