Cutdown day is still more than three months away, but it’s never too early to check which players might land on the chopping block in August. In recent years, the Vikings have generally made one or two unexpected decisions, such as releasing Jaren Hall and Kene Nwangwu in 2024, or preseason star Gabriel Murphy last year.

A candidate for this year’s surprise cut appears to be safety Theo Jackson, given the potentially crowded safety room, at least if you believe Moe Moton of Bleacher Report. Before nominating the fifth-year player, he wrote, “Here’s a look at the best player on every team who could be released this offseason. These selections were made based on a player’s contract situation (cap savings if cut), competition at their position, recent snap counts and production.”

The safety room could suddenly be crowded; it all depends on ageless wonder Harrison Smith and if he’s willing to return for another campaign in purple.

Jackson was initially acquired during the 2022 season, shortly after Lewis Cine’s season-ending leg injury. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah snatched him off Tennessee’s practice squad, and he hasn’t left since. Because the other guys remained fairly healthy in his first three seasons, his opportunities were limited.

“Last season, Theo Jackson moved up on the Minnesota Vikings’ safety depth chart, playing 60 percent of the team’s defensive snaps,” Moton added. “After a step forward in his development, Jackson may be less productive as the Vikings’ No. 3 safety. He could lose his roster spot if rookie third-rounder Jakobe Thomas shows promising signs in the next phases of the Vikings’ offseason program.”

Jackson was a starter early in the season when Smith was out with a mysterious illness. Previously, he was re-signed to be the third safety in the mix and step up following Cam Bynum’s departure. Of course, Smith and Joshua Metellus had already clinched their starting roles. A third defender was needed in Brian Flores’ safety-heavy defense.

As he got a three-year deal last year, he’s still signed through 2026 and 2027. A cut in August would save the Vikings $390,000 in cap space, but leave a dead cap hit for next year. Financially, it makes more sense to move on in 2027. It’s not backbreaking to part ways with the player this year, though.

Our own Dustin Baker noted, “Jackson’s path to playing time has become significantly more challenging, even before clarity emerges regarding Harrison Smith’s future. The Vikings’ 3rd-Round selection of safety Jakobe Thomas introduces another young safety with a similar skill set to Jackson’s. This further problematizes an already difficult situation for Jackson, whose playing time diminished late in the 2025 season when the Vikings benched him in favor of Jay Ward. Consequently, even if Smith were to depart, Jackson still faces a formidable uphill battle for a roster spot or significant snaps.”

Unfortunately for Jackson, he couldn’t take advantage of his starting assignment. He 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%).

Smith returned to the starting unit after missing the first few games and a ramp-up period, but Flores also demoted him in favor of Jay Ward. Even when Metellus suffered a season-ending injury, Jackson just played roughly half the snaps.

Metellus and Ward are still around and the Vikings acquired rookie Jakobe Thomas in the draft, who’s likely an immediate threat for playing time as a third-rounder.

The good news for Jackson is that he’d still be fourth on the depth chart if Smith rides into the sunset and even the fifth spot isn’t a death sentence in a Flores defense that relies on its safeties and there’s no particular reason to release him unless one of the depth safeties shows promise or the Vikings find a reinforcement elsewhere.

Furthermore, the veteran has been a fixture on special teams, playing nearly 1,000 snaps in his four seasons. That number dropped in 2025 due to his increased usage on defense, but his demotion might open the door for more time in the third phase.

Now 27 years old, Jackson still needs a strong summer to clinch a role in the defensive rotation for maximum job security.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.