Open thread: Should the Lions pay Jonah Jackson $15-17 million a year?

The Detroit Lions face a difficult decision in free agency with Jonah Jackson.

We are less than a week away from NFL free agency, and the Detroit Lions have a lot of cap space to work with this offseason. Spotrac has their total cap space (top-51 players) at around $54.3 million, which would be the seventh-highest amount in the NFL. Throughout his tenure, general manager Brad Holmes has been careful not to overspend on players, and while I think he will continue to make smart choices, the Lions are contenders now, so expect him to be extremely active in free agency this year.

Holmes has already started to bring some guys back internally, but there are still a few more names that we could see signing a deal before, or during free agency. Perhaps the biggest and most expensive name they have to consider is Jonah Jackson, their starting left guard from last year. The market has more or less been set for Jackson, as we see some of the other top guards in the NFL land deals with their respective teams. Rumors are swirling that Jackson could receive a deal similar to Rams guard Kevin Dotson, who recently re-signed on a three-year deal worth $48 million and an AAV of $16 million per year. But the question remains…

Should the Lions pay Jonah Jackson $15-17 million a year?

This is an extremely tough decision to make and I do not envy Brad Holmes for having to make it. Jackson, a former third-round pick, has had a solid start to his career and even has a Pro Bowl appearance under his belt. The Lions’ offensive line has performed at an elite level when he’s healthy, but injuries have always been an issue with him.

Jackson is going to command big money whether he stays in Detroit or signs elsewhere, and while I think continuity is very important for the Lions and the offensive line, I’m leaning towards the idea of letting Jackson walk and using the money elsewhere. The Lions have plenty of resources at their disposal to fill their starting left guard spot, whether it’s through free agency, trade, or using one of their four top-100 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Lions choose to go this route, they would almost certainly deal with some struggles and growing pains as the line adjusts to a new starting five, but they haven’t really been able to keep all five of their starters healthy at the same time anyway.

What do you think? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.