Getty Michael Jackson #30 of the Seattle Seahawks.
The Minnesota Vikings have stayed active even in the late stages of free agency.
They signed cornerbacks Duke Shelley and Jacobi Francis to bolster their depth following the death of rookie Khyree Jackson and the loss of Mekhi Blackmon for the season to a torn ACL.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggests the Vikings go a step further. He offered a potential trade package for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Michael Jackson, a fifth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2019 who has also played for the New England Patriots.
Vikings get:
– Michael Jackson
Seahawks:
– 2025 fifth-round pick
Jackson’s role was greatly reduced in 2023 under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.
“Macdonald’s coaching staff might like Jackson, but trading him would free up snaps for younger players and potentially bring back a draft pick,” Ballentine wrote on July 26.
“The Vikings should be among the teams interested in doing it. Brian Flores‘ aggressive blitzing scheme requires cornerbacks who can get up and press opposing receivers. The 6’1″, 210-pounder has the size and length to do just that and could be a fit.”
The Vikings can trade one of their two picks in the fifth round of the 2025 draft.
They have their own and another from the Cleveland Browns from the trade shipping out Za’Darius Smith in May 2023.
They could send a conditional pick to the Seahawks giving them a chance to see which of their picks lands higher. Jackson is on a one-year, $1.2 million contract but has earned $2.9 million in his career, per Over The Cap.
Michael Jackson’s Fall From Grace in Seattle
GettyMichael Jackson #30 of the Seattle Seahawks.
The 27-year-old corner, Jackson, started four of his 17 games played in 2023. He also allowed better than 70% completion and a 95.1 passer rating on 37 targets faced, per Pro Football Reference. Notably, his four starts were over the final four weeks of the 2023 season.
Jackson started 17 games for the Seahawks in 2022 under former head coach Pete Carroll, allowing 55.8% completion and a 75.1 passer rating.
He expected to return to a prominent role under Macdonald after restructuring his contract.
Jackson appeared in four games over his first three NFL seasons, playing in one game for the Lions and Patriots in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Lions traded Jackson to the Patriots for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020.
He maintained a role on special teams even as he worked as a starter in 2022, logging a 17% snap share in the third phase, per Pro Football Reference.
Jackson could now be a victim of the numbers game at a loaded position for the Seahawks.
“The Seattle Seahawks have a surplus of cornerback talent,” Ballentine wrote. “The position group was already solid with Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon and Tre Brown. Then they went and added Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James in the draft.”
Trade for Seahawks’ Michael Jackson Could Bolster Vikings CB Depth
GettyDefensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings.
Francis, Jackson, and Shelley – who was with the Vikings in 2022 – and Shaquill Griffin were all added during the 2024 offseason. That could be a telling sign of what Vikings brass thinks about its incumbent group of corners.
After losing Blackmon and Jackson, Griffin left practice early on July 25.
Griffin is expected to bookend Byron Murphy in base sets. Behind them are recent draft picks Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth.
Evans, a fourth-round pick in 2022, started all 15 of his appearances in 2023. He figures to at least compete for the spot on the perimeter in nickel packages. Booth was a second-round pick in that same class. He appeared in all 17 games, drawing one start.
A trade for Jackson could solidify the backend for the Vikings.