Former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson has reached agreement with the Washington Football Team on a three-year, $42 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jackson, 28, entered 2020 with a lot to prove after the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option, and he responded by making his case for a lucrative new deal with a bounce-back season.
The 2016 first-round pick had 11 pass deflections, eight more than his 2019 total, and had a 57.9% completion percentage when he was the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen. When Jackson was lined up against receivers on the outside of the formation, his numbers were even stronger. As the nearest defender in those situations, his completion percentage allowed dropped to 56.1%.
Jackson had his breakout season in 2017, when he allowed 10 catches on 41 targets for no touchdowns, an interception and 13 pass deflections when he was the nearest defender against outside receivers, according to NFL Next Gen.
He missed his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle after he was selected with the 24th overall pick. In his four seasons of action since, Jackson had 150 tackles, 3 interceptions, a sack, 41 passed defended and a defensive touchdown.
ESPN’s Ben Baby contributed to this report.