Why Theo Jackson Could Be the Vikings’ Best Offseason Move
Indeed, the Minnesota Vikings marshaled several big-time roster moves this offseason, signing two new defensive tackles in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, along with fortifying the offensive lines thanks to the additions of Ryan Kelly and Will Fries.
Theo Jackson has waited three years for his chance, and now the Vikings may have found a hidden gem at his position. Here’s why his promotion can be considered an offseason masterclass.
The moves were top-notch and will remain so until proven otherwise.
But no move quite shone more than the promotion of relatively unknown safety Theo Jackson. Here’s why.
Promoting Safety Theo Jackson Is the Dream of Roster Building
This is the ultimate rags-to-riches story, and few outside the Vikings fan base are aware.
Theo Jackson, until recently, was what most casual onlookers would call a “practice squad guy” — a camp body no one’s ever heard of who lived on a crowded depth chart behind men like Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Lewis Cine, Jay Ward, and others along the way.
In fact, the Vikings found Jackson as a result of turmoil. He’s the guy Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed when Lewis Cine broke his leg in London three years ago. The London game. The one that basically ended Cine’s career in Minnesota.
Adofo-Mensah hopped on the free-agent wire and scooped Jackson. Since, Jackson has waited patiently for his turn — if it was even on the menu in the first place — and that arrived in March 2025.
Before free agency, just a few days before, in fact, Minnesota extended Jackson’s contract, a nod that Camryn Bynum would not be re-signed, and Jackson would ascend the depth chart.
And then precisely that happened.
Resisting the Large Camryn Bynum Contract
Bynum — good for him — found a contract worth $60 million over four years with the Indianapolis Colts. The team’s celebration coordinator and charisma savant cashed in big within a different conference.
Some lamented Bynum’s exit because he was quite impactful. But truth be told, $60 million might’ve been too pricey for a team that pays Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw the megabucks and the one that went on an unhinged spending spree in free agency.
A player like Bynum became expendable, and the Vikings trust Jackson with his job.
Potential for Best-Value Player
Jackson signed a three-year contract this offseason worth $9.3 million. That’s 80% less than what Bynum snatched in Indianapolis.
Minnesota now has a golden opportunity to squeeze the most from Jackson, a first-time starter, as they cultivated him from within, and 2025 will be his one big shot to prove he belongs.
Throughout the season and in the aftermath, websites like VikingsTerritory assess the top value players, and Jackson feels like he’s on the fast track to earn placement on those lists.
It all works so beautifully: a guy whom Harrison Smith has bragged about — the man who makes splashy plays when afforded the chance — will roll the dice to prove his mettle on a contract worth about three million bucks annually inside the NFL’s second-ranked defense from one year ago.
The Underdog Story
Outside of Ivan Pace Jr. and maybe Josh Metellus, the Vikings don’t have a treasure chest of players who scratched and clawed their way up the depth chart. Adam Thielen left two offseasons ago — the poster boy for rags-to-riches stories — but after him, what you see is what you get from the Vikings’ roster.
The team’s two best players, the aforementioned Jefferson and Darrisaw, were 1st-Round selections. So is The Golden Boy quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. Jordan Addison? 1st-Rounder. Harrison Smith? Round 1 some 13 years ago.
Minnesota needs more organic success stories, men who aren’t handed anything. That’s Jackson.
Many draft pundits thought Minnesota would choose a safety in Round 1 a couple of months ago. Why? From a surface viewpoint, nobody had ever heard of Jackson and couldn’t fathom that the Vikings would trust him with a starting safety’s job.
But they will. They’re not afraid of their underdog tale.
Janik Eckardt on Theo Jackson
Our very own Janik Eckardt added some details about Jackson on PurplePTSD.com last week.
He noted, “Suddenly, Jackson climbs up the depth chart and is now expected to be the third guy in Brian Flores’ three-man safety rotation. Jackson has barely played on defense, showing that Bynum, Smith, and Metellus were fairly healthy in the last three seasons.”
“Whenever he was asked to step up, though, he did a respectable job. The Vikes now bet that he can remain effective in a larger role. Jackson, a Tennessee native, attended the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the hometown Titans in 2022. When Lewis Cine suffered his season-ending injury in his debut season, the Vikings needed another depth safety and found rookie Jackson on Tennessee’s practice squad.”
The other cool thing about the Jackson experiment is the position. In theory, if Jackson didn’t play well in 2025 and the Vikings were in a playoff chase, decent safeties are habitually available on the free-agent market.
Eckardt added, “Since then, he has been a premier backup and earned a ton of praise from teammates and coaches, but he had to wait for his opportunity. Harrison Smith has seen safeties come and go over the years. In the last three seasons, Bynum was his wingman.”
“Because there’s no real competition on the roster, Jackson is the logical successor. Jackson signed a three-year contract extension worth $9.365 million. There’s a good chance the 26-year-old will log his first career start in the 2025 campaign.”
The Vikings needed a sleeper to emerge on defense, and Jackson has done that, waiting unflappably for three years.
Vikings Quietly Add Another Free Agent
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