LT Alaric Jackson agrees to 3-year, $57 million deal to stay with the Rams, AP source says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Left tackle Alaric Jackson has agreed to terms on a three-year, $57 million deal to stay with the Los Angeles Rams, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the Rams haven’t formally announced the deal with Jackson, their starting left tackle for the past two seasons.

Jackson is a former undrafted free agent who was a backup on the Rams’ Super Bowl championship team as a rookie in 2021. He became a starter at guard and tackle during the 2022 season despite struggling with injuries, and he seized the starting job at left tackle from Joseph Noteboom before the 2023 season.

Jackson has started 29 games over the past two seasons, establishing himself as a capable protector of Matthew Stafford’s blind side and an effective run-blocker. Jackson, who missed the first two games of last season under suspension for an undisclosed violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, played last season on his restricted free agent tender at $4.89 million.

He was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this spring, but the Rams instead locked him up through the 2027 season.

Jackson was the most important player on the Rams’ list of potential unrestricted free agents in the offseason, and he would have been among the NFL’s top echelon of free-agent offensive tackles.

Earlier Friday, the Rams also wrapped up several weeks of speculation about Stafford’s future by agreeing to a restructured contract with the Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Jackson is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada who grew up both in Detroit and in Windsor, Ontario. He was a four-year starter at Iowa before signing with the Rams.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer