Seattle Seahawks trade for Gabe Jackson, sign Gerald Everett

ByBrady Henderson ESPN logo
Thursday, March 18, 2021

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks are acquiring guard Gabe Jackson from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2021 fifth-round drat pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler on Wednesday.

The Seahawks also agreed to a one-year deal with former Los Angeles Rams tight end Gerald Everett earlier in the day.

Their trade for Jackson leaves them with only three picks in this year's draft but gives them an upgrade along their offensive line, something quarterback Russell Wilson said he wanted when he publicly aired his frustrations with the organization after the season.

In Everett, Wilson gets another weapon in the passing game to go along with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Everett's one-year deal is worth $7 million, with $6 million fully guaranteed, a source told Schefter.

The 29-year-old Jackson has two years and just under $19.2 million left on the $55 million contract extension he signed with the Raiders in 2017, according to Spotrac. That includes base salaries of $9.35 million in 2020 and $9.347 million in 2022, with $250,000 in workout bonuses available each season. None of that money is guaranteed.

It's not known if the Seahawks are making any adjustments to Jackson's contract. They entered free agency with roughly $17 million in cap room.

A third-round pick in 2014 out of Mississippi State, Jackson has spent his entire career with the Raiders, playing left guard his first two seasons and right guard since 2016. Seattle began the week needing a left guard and center, with Mike Iupati retiring and Ethan Pocic becoming an unrestricted free agent. They have left tackle Duane Brown and right tackle Brandon Shell under contract for one more season, while right guard Damien Lewis has three years left on his rookie deal.

The Seahawks' trade for Jackson comes one day after sources told Schefter that the Chicago Bears made "a very aggressive pursuit" of Wilson but were told Seattle is not trading him at this time. Wilson's agent, Mark Rodgers, previously told Schefter that the quarterback would accept a trade to the Bears, Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys if Seattle were to deal him.

One reason the Raiders appealed to Wilson, according to a source, was all the money they had invested in their talent-rich offensive line. But that group has since been dismantled, with Las Vegas trading right tackle Trent Brown to the New England Patriots, center Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals and now Jackson to Seattle.

Jackson ranks 18th over the past two seasons in ESPN's pass rush win rate as a guard. He was 21st last year.

Pass protection was one of the frustrations that Wilson expressed publicity in February.

"I think that's a big thing that we've got to fix," he told "The Dan Patrick Show." "That's got to be fixed and has to be at the end of the day, because my goal is to play 10 to 15 more years."

By giving up their fifth-rounder for Jackson, the Seahawks have picks only in the second, fourth and seventh rounds this year. They gave up their first- and third-round picks in last summer's trade for safety Jamal Adams.

The Seahawks, according to Fowler, came close to signing guard Kevin Zeitler before he chose the Baltimore Ravens. That would have reunited Wilson with his college teammate at Wisconsin.

Everett will reunite with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who was with the Rams for all four of Everett's NFL seasons. Waldron was his position coach during Everett's rookie year, after the Rams drafted him in the second round out of South Alabama.

Everett, who turns 27 on June 25, is coming off a career-best season that saw him catch 41 passes for 417 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a 2-yard score. In a Week 5 rout of the Washington Football Team, Everett caught four passes for a season-high 90 yards.

During the 2019 season, Everett had a breakout performance in a Week 5 loss to the Seahawks in which he caught seven passes for a career-high 136 yards. It was his only 100-yard receiving performance with the Rams.

Everett served mostly as a backup to Tyler Higbee, catching 127 passes for 1,389 yards and eight touchdowns in 61 games, including 11 starts.

Tight end was a need for the Seahawks with Greg Olsen retiring. Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson are free agents. Everett will join a tight end group that also has Will Dissly, 2020 fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson and 2020 undrafted rookie Tyler Mabry.

Everett and Jackson are Seattle's second and third additions since the negotiating window opened Monday. The other is cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who signed a one-year deal. The Seahawks also re-signed defensive tackle Poona Ford, one of their restricted free agents, to a two-year deal.

Information from ESPN's Lindsey Thiry was used in this report.

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