Jonah Jackson probably wasn’t lacking suitors when free agency began in March. He quickly signed a three-year deal worth $51 million with the Los Angeles Rams on the first day of the legal tampering period, a huge splash by Les Snead and Sean McVay shortly after the market opened.
There are a lot of things that make the Rams a good landing spot for any free agent, from the impressive coaching staff to the location in Southern California, but it was Matthew Stafford who really drew Jackson to Los Angeles.
During an interview with J.B. Long and D’Marco Farr, Jackson said Stafford was the primary reason he picked the Rams.
“It definitely came down to a few teams but here, obviously, the weather is absolutely incredibly. Every day is beautiful. But, No. 9,” Jackson said. “I had Matthew my rookie year and I knew what he brought to the table and I knew he could bring us all the way. And from the outside looking in, we had a lot of carryover in Detroit and I got along well with those guys. Greg, Brad (Holmes), Jared (Goff) and they all loved it out here and I figured they’re my kind of guys.”
Jackson isn’t yet up to full speed as he recovers from a knee injury suffered late last year, but he’s going to be a huge part of the Rams’ offense once the season begins. At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, he’s both literally and figuratively a big player along the offensive line.
He’ll be the starting left guard next to Steve Avila, who’s moved to center, helping protect Stafford once again after he did the same as a rookie in 2020. That year, he played 1,006 snaps and allowed five sacks, but since then, he’s given up just six sacks in the last three seasons.