Commanders & CB William Jackson Working Toward Trade

According to Ian Rapoport, Commanders CB William Jackson would like a fresh start out of Washington and the team is working to make a trade happen. 

Rapoport adds the Commanders have had active trade talks regarding Jackson and there are several interested teams. 

Jackson signed with Washington as a big-ticket free agent last year but the fit has been poor so far. The veteran corner is hoping a trade to a scheme that plays more man coverage will suit him better. 

He did not travel with the team for Thursday night’s game and was listed with a back injury on the injury report after being benched early in Week 5 against the Titans. Commanders HC Ron Rivera suggested the move was related to both injury and performance this week. 

The biggest obstacle for Washington will be finding a taker for Jackson’s money, as he’s due $10 million in guaranteed salary this season per Over The Cap.

Jackson, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Bengals back in 2016. He was in the final year of his four-year, $9.7 million contract when the Bengals picked up Jackson’s fifth option worth $9,954,000 for the 2020 season.

Jackson was testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2021 when he signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Washington. He’s due base salaries of $5 million and $9.25 million over the final two years of the deal. 

In 2022, Jackson has appeared in four games for the Commanders and recorded 15 total tackles and two pass deflections. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 84 cornerback out of 104 qualifying players. 

We’ll have more on the Commanders and Jackson as the news is available.