The second contract is the ultimate motivation for many young NFL players. Bears players such as Roquan Smith, Tarik Cohen and Mitch Trubisky have acknowledged the significance of playing for that post-rookie deal.
So what does Eddie Jackson do now? The Bears safety signed a second contract and it was a whopper — a four-year, $58 million deal with $33 million guaranteed. It’s the largest per-year contract for a safety in NFL history.
Motivation will have to come from within now.
“Pay day or not, the thing has to stay the same,” Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend said.