Ex-Vikings WR Released by Cardinals
For a few years, Minnesota Vikings fans had big plans for a wide receiver named Trishton Jackson each summer, although Jackson joined the Arizona Cardinals during the most recent offseason. Now, at his next stop post-Vikings, Jackson has been dropped by the Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals, a 2-1 team, conducted some roster tweaks on Tuesday, and one former Vikings wide receiver got the axe.
He’ll hit free agency and be free to sign anywhere in the business.
Former Vikings Wideout Trishton Jackson Is Available
Jackson had battled an injury and is now heading to the open market.
Cardinals Drop Trishton Jackson
Jackson is out in Arizona.
CBS Sports reported Tuesday: “The Cardinals removed Jackson (thumb) from injured reserve Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports. Jackson suffered a thumb injury during the Cardinals’ preseason game against the Chiefs in early August, which led to him being placed on injured reserve.”
“Now that he’s been let go from IR, Jackson will look to sign with a team in need of depth at wide receiver once he has fully recovered from his injury. Jackson appeared in two regular-season games for the Vikings in 2024 and logged 12 snaps (10 on offense, two on special teams) between those two contests.”
Next Stop? Free Agency.
It’s unclear if Jackson is fully healed from his thumb ailment, but in any case, he’ll hit the open market and be free to sign anywhere in the league.
Depending on the severity of the thumb injury, his upside this season is likely a practice squad assignment with a new team, but thankfully for his sake, that’s his modus operandi. It’s basically all he knows.
There’s also a chance that the Cardinals turn around and re-sign him. NFL teams enjoy doing that — for some reason — as Minnesota has used the tactic with wide receiver Tim Jones in the last few weeks. Cut. Re-sign. Cut. Re-sign.
The Cardinals’ WRs without Jackson
With Jackson no longer in the mix, these are the Cardinals’ wide receivers, a team with a 2-1 record entering Week 4, with a Thursday Night Football matchup looming against the hot Seattle Seahawks:
- Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Michael Wilson
- Zay Jones
- Greg Dortch
- Xavier Weaver
- Simi Fehoko
- Andre Baccellia (Practice Squad)
- Tejhaun Palmer (Practice Squad)
Tight end Trey McBride also eats heavily into the Cardinals’ passing game, essentially commanding a WR2’s target load.
Jackson’s Time as a Viking
Minnesota greenlit Jackson from the practice squad to the active roster in two games last season. He played 10 offensive snaps in 2024 and two special teams plays.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he stood off the page in the 2024 preseason — from cover to cover. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles in the summer of 2024, Jackson tabulated 9 receptions for 154 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
And those were stat lines from part-time work. He didn’t play all four quarters of each game. On the scoring tendencies, Jackson hit paydirt in all three contests that summer. But like many preseason standouts — example: Lucky Jackson in 2025 — the production didn’t transfer directly to the regular season.
All told, Jackson twisted in Minnesota’s roster orbit from 2021 to 2024.
AZ Central on the Cardinals Offense
The Cardinals lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, and on the team’s offense, AZ Central’s Theo Mackie opined, “In Week 3, the larger problem was with execution. In the passing game, well-placed balls were dropped by open receivers. In the running game, it was a lack of available lanes for either Trey Benson or James Conner, prior to his season-ending ankle injury in the third quarter.”
“Those two combined for just 64 yards on 21 carries. One year after they possessed one of the league’s most reliable running games, this has been a consistent trend in 2025. And, like the drops, those struggles reared their head at the worst moment.”
Arizona has a 38% probability of reaching the postseason, according to sportsbooks.
Mackie continued, “On their final offensive drive, the Cardinals needed to rely on their ground game to help run the clock. But on first down, Murray had nowhere to go on a quarterback keeper. On second down, it was Benson’s turn to run into a wall of 49ers defenders, with his offensive line not creating any push.”
“For the Cardinals, that was the theme. One or two players not executing at a high enough level, over and over again. It’s perhaps the NFL’s most used cliché. Execution, execution, execution. But sometimes, it’s all that needs to be said.”
Jackson will turn 28 next offseason.
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