As the NFL’s legal tampering period began Monday, guard Jonah Jackson sat at home with his wife. He had expected his phone to ring within seconds, but there was only silence for the first 45 minutes of free agency.
Then, the former Detroit Lion’s agent called and asked, “What do you think of Los Angeles?”
“I was like, ‘That doesn’t sound too shabby,’” Jackson told reporters Thursday after officially signing his three-year, $51 million contract with the Rams. “This sounded like the right move. Good weather, good place to be, good winning culture, great staff. Everything overall was just a plus, so we couldn’t deny that.”
A little more than two hours into free agency, Jackson and the Rams had agreed to terms. He admitted Thursday it was a little odd to make such a life-altering decision, especially given he grew up in Pennsylvania, played college ball at Rutgers and Ohio State and started his pro career in Detroit.
But he played his rookie year with the Lions blocking for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, whom he used to call “the Wizard” for his football savvy. Lions GM Brad Holmes used to work in the Rams’ front office, and Jackson felt like he had a familiarity with the team.
Other teams were interested and could have slowed the process for Jackson, but there was an appeal for the Rams.
“I’ve been on the outside looking in at this place for a while, so I kind of had a general idea of what’s going on,” Jackson said. “Once I heard the Rams were willing to do what they did and be able to go somewhere and potentially win it all, there was no denying it.”
And then there was the football fit.
Last year, head coach Sean McVay revamped the Rams’ run game. The team moved from outside zone blocking to gap scheme and duo, blocking players down with leverage and double-teaming to create holes for running backs.
The results were immediate, with Kyren Williams ranking third in the NFL with 1,144 rushing yards despite missing four games. The addition of the 6-foot-4, 311-pound Jackson fits that vision.
“The gap scheme and the duo just in general was probably our bread and butter in Detroit,” Jackson said. “I’m glad it’s the bread and butter over here. So this won’t be too hard of a transition.”
He’ll join an interior line that includes 332-pound Steve Avila, likely moving to center to accommodate Jackson, and 321-pound Kevin Dotson, who last week agreed to a three-year, $48 million deal to return to the Rams.
It wasn’t that long ago that Dotson was traded to the Rams on the eve of the regular season, entering his contract year while changing teams at the last moment. Looking back on that, Dotson admitted Thursday it provided some uncertainty and anxiety.
He knew he wasn’t guaranteed a starting job, or even necessarily playing time, as he learned a new offense and blocking system.
But once he got his chance in Week 4 against the Colts, he never gave up the starting right guard job and quickly became essential to the Rams’ run game.
“I just took that chance on myself,” Dotson said. “That’s why I say it feels so good to feel like I fulfilled my mission.”
The Rams made re-signing Dotson an offseason priority, but also expected him to test his value on the free-agent market. Dotson entered negotiations expecting a lowball offer from the Rams, based off conversations with friends who had gone through free agency before.
But he said the initial offer from the team was respectful, and that helped move things along prior to the opening of the legal tampering period.
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“If I could get something done with the Rams, I was ready to do that rather than have to do too much talks in the free-agency market,” Dotson said. “Being able to come back to the same coach and the same system for two years in a row and then being in a place that’s actually really enjoyable to be in outside of football, also. A big selling point for me was how I felt day to day in California.”
With Avila having three years left on his rookie deal, that interior trio is tied together through the 2026 season. Though Jackson has yet to meet his new teammates, he’s seen them work while studying film of common opponents last season.
“That’s a powerful bunch,” Jackson said. “That’s a good group, kind of similar to what he had in Detroit. There’s some specialness there, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”