KC Chiefs: Gabe Jackson would be the perfect fit in free agency

The KC Chiefs need help along the offensive line and signing Gabe Jackson would help tremendously.

There’s no question where the Kansas City Chiefs‘ weakness was in their Super Bowl loss. The offensive line couldn’t stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush, which made it a very lopsided affair. After the release of Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, the need to improve the offensive line becomes even greater.

One player that can help in 2021 is former Las Vegas Raider, Gabe Jackson. The Raiders let Jackson know last week that they would be releasing him.

With the odd offseason already in motion and a lower salary cap ($182.5M) in place, many solid veterans like Jackson are already looking for new teams in 2021. It’s hard to know if players like Jackson will sign with a new team for less money, sit out a year, or simply retire. Jackson, who turns 30 in July, likely still has something left in the tank, so hopefully playing in 2021 is what he’ll look to do.

If he is looking to sign and play this year, hopefully, the Chiefs are kicking the tires on the seven-year pro. After being drafted by the Raiders in the third round in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jackson has been a part of one of the better offensive lines in all of football.

While the Raiders haven’t been a good team overall, their offensive line has at least been solid. His release from the team is probably more about the financials than it is about not needing a talented veteran.

Jackson is set to be 30 years old when the season begins, so he’s no spring chicken in football years. He wouldn’t be viewed as a long-term answer but could be a serviceable upgrade along the offensive line for a few seasons.

The Chiefs will definitely be in search of interior linemen and Jackson would help to shore up some weaknesses there. He’d be a solid player to bridge the gap as Kansas City begins the process of rebuilding the offensive line over the next few seasons.

Signing Gabe Jackson would add a solid veteran for the KC Chiefs and buy some time while they rebuild the o-line.

More from KC Kingdom

At 6’3″ and 335 pounds, Jackson’s not the type of lineman that the Chiefs have typically employed in recent years. Their scheme seems to fit taller, slimmer lineman but they did bring in Kelechi Osemele in 2020, who did not fit that mold.

A player like Jackson gives Kansas City the ability to potentially change how they call plays. This could hopefully bring a more balanced attack between the run game and the passing game.

The obvious difficulty for Kansas City will be their limited resources. They’re still currently over the $182.5M salary cap and have work to do to get under that number.

Thankfully, Veach has some potential options to restructure or extend some current contracts to get under the cap and possibly have money to spend. It’s not crazy to think that the team could get a deal done here.

So, why would Jackson want to come to Kansas City? As if protecting the greatest quarterback in the league wasn’t sufficient enough of a reason, the chance to win a Super Bowl would have to be the most intriguing.

With limited years left, Jackson may opt to try and win a ring before calling it a career. Having earned nearly $40M so far, winning could be the bigger priority now.

Next. Mock Draft: Chiefs Improve Defense. dark

If a deal could work out, it’d be great to see the Chiefs kick a little dirt in the face of a division rival by signing him. He could also bring in some insights about what the Raiders like to do and how they function, which could be another leg up for Kansas City on game day.

Ultimately, the big reason to sign Jackson would be to simply bring in a talented veteran to strengthen a position with major needs. Who knows what this crazy offseason will continue to bring, but hopefully the Chiefs will pursue Gabe Jackson in the weeks to come.

Home/Chiefs Free Agency