The Minnesota Vikings didn’t target a safety in the first round as a lot of NFL Draft pundits expected. But 27-year-old safety Theo Jackson could find himself on the outside looking in this summer nonetheless.
That’s what Minnesota Territory’s Dustin Baker argued Sunday when he named four Vikings players “on thin ice” after the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Harrison Smith may not be back in 2026, which should be ‘good’ news for Jackson’s playing-time outlook,” wrote Baker. “But then Minnesota picked Jakobe Thomas in Round 3. He plays the same position as Jackson, and Jackson was already demoted in December of 2025 in favor of Jay Ward.
“There’s a world where Smith returns for Year No. 15, and Jackson hardly plays in the regular season or even straddles the roster bubble beforehand.”
Jackson started the first six games of the 2025 NFL season for the Vikings. Beginning in Week 8, though, the team moved the former sixth-round pick into a reserve role.
He started again in Weeks 12 and 18. But in other contests, Jackson didn’t play on defense at all.
The Vikings added third-round safety Jakobe Thomas in the NFL Draft. Jackson may only have a roster spot this fall with a very strong training camp.
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Baker seemed to cast more doubt on Jackson’s long-term status in Minnesota than his immediate future. But the Vikings analyst still saw it possible that Jackson won’t have a spot with the team this summer.
Jackson’s future has honestly been in doubt since he lost his starting job last October. He had a chance to regain it a couple times during the second half of 2025, but that didn’t happen either.
Last season was the first time Jackson started a game in his NFL career. In 14 contests overall during 2025, he posted 47 combined tackles, including three for loss. He also had two quarterback hits, two sacks, one pass defense and a forced fumble.
Over his first three years in the league, Jackson registered 47 combined tackles, four pass defenses and two interceptions. He played as a reserve in 43 contests.
In 2025, Jackson played a career-high 530 snaps on defense. The safety had just 222 defensive snaps in his first three seasons combined.
Jackson played primarily on special teams from 2022-24.
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Although Jackson played a career high in defensive snaps, he was still third among Vikings safeties in snaps during 2025. Minnesota’s two safeties who played more often were Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith.
The Vikings released Smith this offseason. But Jackson still might not find himself back in the starting lineup. Jay Ward started the final three games for Minnesota last season. Ward could start alongside Metellus in the back end of the Vikings secondary.
That’s assuming the team doesn’t bring back Smith. Baker sees that as at least a possibility.
If that happens, at best, Jackson will be the team’s fourth safety. Then he could move further down the depth chart depending on how the third-round rookie, Thomas, performs during the summer.
If Jackson doesn’t prove himself invaluable on special teams, as he was in his first three seasons, the Vikings could move on when roster cuts happen.
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