Should the Chicago Bears decide to part ways with starting safety Eddie Jackson over the upcoming summer, they could have the intriguing and reasonably priced defensive back Geno Stone of the Baltimore Ravens as a viable replacement.
Stone was mentioned by Windy City Gridiron’s Bill Zimmerman as a possible Jackson replacement on his list of six players the Bears should target in the upcoming summer.
Zimmerman commented, “I love Eddie Jackson, but I think he’s finishing his last year in Chicago.” “He’s perhaps the secondary’s weakest defender right now, and he’s having health issues. Stone should, at the very least, match Jackson’s output and maintain stability in the secondary center at a far more reasonable cost.
If Jackson were released, the Bears would have a dead cap hit of $5.6 million in 2024, per Spotrac. Jackson’s basic pay for the upcoming season is little over $14 million, although his performance has suffered since he was named to the first team of the All-Pro in 2018. Due to a foot injury, he has missed five games this season and hasn’t participated in a full season since the 2020 campaign.
It makes sense, then, that Chicago would want to move on at the end of the season. However, how much would it cost to sign a player like Smith?
Geno Stone would be an ascending player for the Bears.
This season, Stone has appeared in 12 games for the Ravens, starting eight of them. As of Week 14, he had 49 tackles, 8 passes defensed, and the second-most interceptions in the NFL with 6. In his first season as a starter in Baltimore, Stone, who is just 24 years old, is starting to come into his own.
Prior to this season, Stone spent his first three years as a player mostly on special teams after being selected by the Ravens in the sixth round out of Iowa in 2020. Before this season, he had just one interception in his first three years in the league, so it was a sort of breakout.
According to the Baltimore Banner, Chris Hewitt, the coordinator of the Ravens’ passing game and secondary coach, stated that Geno has always been an intuitive athlete with a high IQ for football. “It all comes down to opportunity, and he’s had plenty of them—even as a rookie, he played well every time he entered the game last year.”
What Kind of Agreement Is Geno Stone Interested in Signing?
In order to complete the defense, Zimmerman also underlined that the Bears should add an additional edge rusher and defensive lineman. He’s exactly accurate, but it seems like the Bears need to find Jackson’s replacement regardless of how they could approach both of those positions in theory. Stone is the ideal choice.
According to Zimmerman, Stone will sign a three-year, $27 million contract with a $15 million guarantee. That would be a great opportunity for a young ball-hawk with a ton of upside potential.
Stone is only an inch shorter than the 6-foot-6 Jackson at 5’11” and 210 pounds, but he is quicker and hasn’t had the same history of injuries. It would be less expensive to add Stone for $9 or $10 million a season than to add Jackson, and the Bears’ secondary would be younger with Stone.
On December 10, the day the Bears host the Detroit Lions in Week 14, Jackson celebrates his 30th birthday. For the rest of the season, he could have to play lights out, and even then, it might not be enough.
Leave a Reply