After hiring a new general manager and checking another Vikings offseason box, the one remaining one is Harrison Smith’s retirement question. He’s yet to make a decision on whether he wants to give it another shot. His potential return would shake up the safety room.
At this point, the Vikings employ four safeties for two starting jobs and a third prominent role in Brian Flores’ safety-heavy defense.
One contender is last year’s starter, Theo Jackson, but Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks he should be shipped to a different organization before the upcoming season kicks off.
He wrote, “Theo Jackson made our list of potential cut candidates after the Minnesota Vikings selected safety Jakobe Thomas in the third round of this year’s draft.”
Indeed, he’s suddenly facing some roster pressure in the Twin Cities, a year after signing a three-year deal with the club. With Joshua Metellus a certainty in the starting unit, there are 1-2 openings depending on Smith’s call.
The Vikings might want to promote special-teams ace Jay Ward after his strong finish to the 2025 campaign and the franchise didn’t use half of Jonathan Greenard’s trade compensation to acquire Jakobe Thomas to sit on the bench. Jackson might be the victim of the number’s game, especially if Smith wants to keep playing.
Moton added, “Jackson is among the Vikings’ trade candidates for the same reason. Moreover, he could garner interest from the Washington Commanders, who hired Minnesota’s former defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator, Daronte Jones.”
Nothing in the NFL matters more than the history between players and coaches, so this connection could certainly play a role should the Vikings make Jackson available. Washington’s new defensive coordinator knows Jackson’s strengths and weaknesses and how best to deploy him, while the defender knows Jones’ defensive terminology.
“Working directly under Jones, Jackson made strides as a downhill defender, logging 47 tackles (three for loss) and two sacks in 14 contests,” Moton continued. “However, Jackson gave up too much ground in coverage, allowing a 131.5 passer rating and a 71.4 percent completion rate.”
Jackson was inserted into the starting lineup following Cam Bynum’s departure in free agency, but his play left a lot to be desired. Because Smith was out early in the season, he likely had more responsibility than the coaching staff would’ve hoped for.
Jackson ultimately appeared in 14 games and started 8 of them, but his snap counts declined throughout the season. In the first seven games of the year, he averaged 57.3 defensive snaps (95%), but in his remaining seven, that dropped to 23.3 (35.8%).
Ward, meanwhile, was climbing up the depth chart. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the versatile Ward having the chance to clinch the starting job ahead of Jackson. Furthermore, third-round rookie Thomas brings the downhill skillset to the table that Flores enjoys and could turn to him early in his career.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about the first-year defender after the draft, “His play style jumps off the tape. He’s a very, very highly intelligent player that we were able to really dive into. Jakobe’s a good blitzer, he’s a good tackler, and I know Flo’ (Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores) is incredibly excited about him as a communicator and his upside football I.Q.”
The question now is whether the Vikings would rather keep Jackson even if he’s not clinching a top-three role on defense or if they like him as a depth player. The salary cap savings wouldn’t move the needle and another team would have to give up draft capital to acquire a player who disappointed in his only starting opportunity. Someone elsewhere would have to value the 27-year-old more than the Vikings.
“Regardless of Thomas’ progress through his first offseason in the pros, Minnesota may attempt to trade Jackson because of his limitations on passing downs,” Moton further noted.
At this point, a trade feels unlikely. The Vikings value safety depth, especially in Brian Flores’ scheme, and Jackson is one of the few defenders in the building who already understands the system inside and out.
Still, if Harrison Smith returns and Jakobe Thomas develops quickly, Minnesota could eventually have more safeties than available roles. In that scenario, Jackson’s experience and familiarity with Daronte Jones could make him an intriguing option for Washington. For now, though, his roster spot appears much safer than any trade speculation suggests.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
