Case for Kareem Jackson being cap casualty grows stronger
Mar 4, 2021, 5:06 PM | Updated: 5:12 pm
The case for Kareem Jackson being a Denver Broncos cap casualty this offseason seems to be growing stronger.
In a video press conference on Thursday, Broncos general manager George Paton didn’t tip his hand as to which way the club was leaning in terms of Jackson’s future in Denver, but he also didn’t exactly exude confidence in it either.
“We have to work through some things, but we’ve had positive conversations. We would like Kareem back,” Paton said. “He’s a good football player and a good leader. We’ll see if we can do that.”
However, when speaking on Jackson’s partner in the defensive backfield, Justin Simmons, Paton projected a more solid stance on the safety’s future in orange and blue.
“Justin is one of our core guys. Our goal since I got here is to sign him to a long-term deal,” Paton said. “We have had discussions with his agent. I don’t know if we’ll get a deal done or not, but that’s our goal. He’s the type of guy we want to extend.”
To muddy the waters even further, Paton said he thinks the team’s philosophies on Jackson and Simmons are “independent of each other.”
The comments come after DenverFan.com Senior Broncos Writer John Clayton told “Stokley & Zach” earlier this week the odds Jackson remains in Denver in 2021 likely “aren’t very good.”
“My feeling is he’s going to be a cap casualty,” Clayton said.
Per Spotrac.com, Jackson is slated to have a cap hit of $12.882 million in 2021. Denver must decide before the start of the NFL’s new league year on March 17 whether to pick up the option on the final year of Jackson’s contract, which guarantees him $1.5 million if exercised.
