The Newest Viking Is Official
Wednesday, May 14, was all about the NFL’s schedule release, with the Minnesota Vikings revealing their opponent order for the 2025 campaign.
Donovan Jackson is the newest Viking, locking in his rookie contract for the long haul.
But in the middle of that process, the club’s 1st-Round rookie made it official. Offensive guard Donovan Jackson signed his rookie contract with the Vikings, connecting him to the franchise for at least the next four years, with a team option for a fifth in 2029.
It’s a Done Deal for Donovan Jackson
ProFootballTalk.com‘s Mike Florio detailed, “At a time when the football-following world is digesting the 2025 schedule, the Vikings pulled the spotlight away from their slate of games. The Vikings have signed rookie first-rounder Donovan Jackson to his rookie deal, via NFL Media.”
“Jackson, the 24th overall pick, will likely step right in as a starting guard for the Vikings. He also has the ability — as proven last year at Ohio State — to slide out to tackle, if needed.”
And that’s that on the rookie class for the purple team. All five draft picks are inked through 2028.
The OL Overhaul Is Complete for Vikings
During free agency, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah put his foot down at long last, signing free agent offensive lineman Will Fries, a guard, and Ryan Kelly, a center, both from the Indianapolis Colts. The pair represented two of the best offensive trenchmen on the open market, and most Vikings fans didn’t expect the organization to land two high-profile names.
But Adofo-Mensah did precisely that, overhauling his offensive line for the start of the J.J. McCarthy era at quarterback.
Many believed that was “it” for offensive line repairs, but then the young executive drafted Jackson in Round 1 three weeks ago. Jackson will fill out a fivesome upfront for the Vikings, with Christian Darrisaw to his left and Kelly, Fries, and Brian O’Neill to his right.
A Presumed Starter’s Job Right Away
Blake Brandel held down left guard duties for the Vikings in 2024, doing an admirable job at times but struggling when the aforementioned Darrisaw, the man next to him on the line, hit the shelf with a busted ACL in October.
Brandel, perhaps, could’ve done the trick again at left guard in 2025, but the Jackson draft selection ensured a promising upgrade. Barring injury or rather strange setback, Jackson will start immediately in Week 1 at the Chicago Bears, a Monday Night Football showdown.
A Lesson Learned by the Vikings
Four months ago, on a grand stage in Arizona, the Vikings allowed 9 sacks on former passer Sam Darnold, ruining the team’s postseason chances and embarrassing themselves in front of a national audience.
The Vikings looked lifeless, the trenches porous. The Los Angeles Rams prevailed.
After the loss, head coach Kevin O’Connell vowed to fix the offensive line, but no one really knew if that meant three new interior linemen.
It did — and Jackson became the final piece.
Jackson on His New Team
Jackson opened up about his fit with his new team after the draft.
He told the media upon arriving in Minnesota after the draft: “I’d like to thank God for this opportunity to wear such a prestigious color. I’d like to thank Vikings ownership for taking the chance on a kid in Columbus, Ohio. But I couldn’t have gotten this far without my parents; they’ve sacrificed so much for me whether it was driving me to and from school, to and from workouts, lessons, anything of the sort; staying on me, whether it be academically, athletically, or just being a respectable young man. I wouldn’t be here without their guidance.”
“I understand it’s not like college; you can’t commit to an organization. But I told my agent, ‘If we can, I really want to go to Minnesota. I’m blessed to have it all work out in the way I wanted. And I’m in a place where I’m needed, and wanted, so I’m just ready to get to work and help win games.”
Jackson also mentioned his temporary shift to offensive tackle down the stretch of his career at Ohio State.
He said, “Of course, there was a little bit of a learning curve. I had to drop that leg back a little bit, be able to step in space. But this came from a mentality of, ‘I just want to help the team win.’ My dad taught me from a young age, like, ‘If you’re going to do anything, you better do it to the best of your ability, because one, I’m paying for it, and two, you carry the Jackson name on your back and that name carries not only yourself, but all those who came before you.'”
“So I knew if I’m moving out, I had to switch my mindset of being a guard to tackle. I had to tell myself, ‘No, you’re a tackle.’ I couldn’t give myself an excuse mentally. Just really anything to help the team win, that was my main goal.”
Jackson will turn 23 in December. He’s the first guard drafted in Round 1 by the Vikings in nearly four decades. Quite the cure to a drought.
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