Sportsnaut
A former All-Pro safety who played under Vic Fangio with the Chicago Bears revealed he wanted to join the Philadelphia Eagles last year and reunite with his former defensive coordinator, but a deal could not get done.
Eddie Jackson, currently a free agent, told VideoGamer he would come to the Eagles “in a heartbeat” to play for Fangio again.
“That would be a dream scenario,” Jackson said. “I wanted to actually go to Philly last year. That’s the crazy part that people don’t know. I really wanted to go to Philly, but we couldn’t come to the right terms.
“But, man, I would love to get a reunion with Vic. That system right there, I tell every defensive back I’ve ever played with, if you have a good front – like we had in Chicago in 2018 and what Philly has now – you’re back there just picking cherries off a tree. I’ve been around four or five defensive coordinators, and I’ve still never seen anyone do it like Vic does. I’d go there in a heartbeat.”
Jackson admitted he reached out to Fangio directly to join the Eagles last year.
“I actually tried to get over there. I sent Vic a text, like, ‘Yo, Coach, I’m free. Come on, let’s do it.’ He said, ‘OK, I’ll let Howie (Roseman) know.’ It didn’t work out, but who knows what the future holds?” Jackson said.
Jackson played for Fangio in 2017 and 2018 while he was defensive coordinator for the Bears and became a first-team All-Pro safety. Under Fangio, Jackson recorded eight interceptions, including three pick-sixes, with 21 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
In six seasons without Fangio, Jackson has seven interceptions, 24 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
“Vic Fangio was the closest thing I’ve seen to Nick Saban as far as scouting a team. Hand-written notes, and really dissecting a team inside and out,” explained Jackson. “The situation he put me in, it shows. He did it with me, Justin Simmons, Ceedy Deuce (Chauncey Gardner-Johnson). His system works, especially for safeties. There’s a lot of respect, and a lot of thank yous to Vic for what I was able to do early in my career. A lot of that stuff was a testament to his scheme, and the way he put me in position to make plays. He trusted me a lot.”
If the Eagles were going to bring in Jackson, it would have been after they traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans during the offseason. But the Eagles currently seem set with Reed Blankenship, rookie Drew Mukuba, Sydney Brown and Marcus Epps. If one of them goes down, though, there could be a place for Jackson.
Jackson last played for the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens in 2024. In 11 games, he had one pass breakup and 30 tackles. Across 111 games during his eight-year career, Jackson has 15 interceptions, 45 pass...
