Minnesota Vikings News!

It might not be the big re-signing that many are eagerly anticipating but the Minnesota Vikings made their first signing/re-signing of the 2024 free agency season. Yesterday, the team announced that they have re-signed safety Theo Jackson. Terms of the deal were not made available. 

Jackson was an Exclusive Rights Free Agent. As such, there was little chance that he was moving on this offseason. If the Vikings were interested in keeping him in Minnesota, all they had to do was extend a qualifying offer of the league-minimum salary of $985,000. Signing him now allows the Vikings to concern themselves with other (bigger) matters. 

Theo Jackson was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day. The Vikings signed Jackson off the practice squad of the Titans on October 11, 2022. He appeared in 11 games for the Vikings during his rookie season. Jackson made his roster rise this season. He became a special teams mainstay and climbed the safety depth chart. Perhaps the most eye-raising development was his leaping 2022 first round pick Lewis Cine in the safety rotation. Jackson had a role in Brian Flores’ versatile defense. He appears to have a role moving forward. 

Current Safety Depth Chart:

Harrison Smith

Cam Bynum

Josh Metellus

Theo Jackson

Lewis Cine

Jay Ward

Harrison Smith has a retirement question to answer. The hope here is that he’s back for another season. If he’s back, it won’t be at his scheduled salary. For a second consecutive year, he’ll probably have to take a pay cut to remain in Minnesota. With Smith, safety is the team’s deepest and most talented position. Without Smith, safety is one of the team’s deepest and most talented positions. 

With the signing of Theo Jackson, the Vikings offseason has started.