The Washington Commanders’ desire to get rid of cornerback William Jackson III ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline was one of the worst-kept secrets in the league.
If Washington could not find a trade partner for Jackson, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Tuesday morning that the Commanders would likely release Jackson.
Sources: The #Commanders are expected to release cornerback William Jackson III if there's no trade partner by the deadline. Teams have called on Jackson but no trade has materialized and the back injury was also believed to be a factor. Jackson signed a $40.5M deal in 2021.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 1, 2022
Fortunately for Washington, a trade did materialize, as the Commanders sent Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers. We now have the final details of that trade and what it means for Washington.
The Commanders save $2.77 million as Pittsburgh is now on the hook for Jackson’s base salary for the remainder of the season. There will be a $9 million cap hit for Washington in 2023. However, Jackson was scheduled to be the Commanders’ second-highest cap hit next season. So, while that high dead cap is tough to swallow, it’s a good move for Washington. It’s even more impressive that the Commanders found a trade partner.
Here’s what it cost for the Steelers, courtesy of Spotrac.
The #Steelers will get a $3.1M look at William Jackson for the remainder of 2022.
They then hold a $12.75M "option" for 2023 with which they'll have to decide on by March 17th, when a $2.5M roster bonus is due. https://t.co/Q90Yrd8b31
— Spotrac (@spotrac) November 1, 2022
If Jackson returns to form, $12.75 million is a reasonable price for good cornerback play.
How much did Jackson cost the Commanders for 16 games?
#Commanders wound up paying over $24M for Jackson for what amounted to 16 total games. Thats pretty rough
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) November 1, 2022
Ouch.
As for the compensation, the teams swapped conditional late-round picks in 2025, with no further details provided at the current time.
