At this stage of the NFL offseason, it is all about finding the right veteran free agents who fit the ethos of what you want your team to be all about. One veteran free agent who makes a ton of sense for the Minnesota Vikings to sign would be former USC star cornerback Adoree' Jackson. The former Pac-12 star was a first-round pick by the Tennessee Titans and most recently played for the New York Giants.
Although Jackson has never lived up to his draft hype, he is still on the good side of 30 and could thrive playing in a defense for a coordinator who knows exactly what he is doing in Brian Flores. Minnesota is kind of sort of rebuilding this year, but the Vikings should be markedly better than the two teams Jackson previously played for in the NFL. For the right dollar amount, this deal could work.
Jackson was one of the handful of veteran free agents Matt Bowen of ESPN.com wrote about on Monday. He tabbed the Vikings as the best landing spot for the former USC Trojan. With Jackson's ability to return kicks as a specialist, that would certainly add an interesting wrinkle into what the Vikings could conceivably do this offseason. I do not think their "rebuild" will last very long anyway.
Let's discuss if Jackson is the right fit for the Vikings, or if they should just continue on living their life.
What Bowen pointed out is that although the Vikings drafted former Oregon star Khyree Jackson in the fourth round, the long defensive back is still very raw for Flores' scheme. Even though Adoree' Jackson has shown virtually no ball skills whatsoever as a professional, he is savvy enough to make plays if he goes into a system that elevates him. The Vikings should still have a fairly feisty defense.
To me, this all comes down to money. Jackson has to understand that while he could turn his career around in the Twin Cities, he is not going to be coming to the Vikings for a ton of money. His big money-making days as a professional football player are probably over with and done. I don't know if he signs for something close to the veteran minimum on a one-year deal, but it feels like the ballpark.
Overall, I do actually like this fit for Jackson and the Vikings. It is the right place for a player with something to prove on a team that could be halfway decent. More importantly, Flores will always have something to prove after how poorly things ended for him in Miami. He may not ever be able to overcome that professionally. In the meantime, he can remain one of the best defensive coordinators.
For the right price, I would have no problem with a veteran like Jackson coming aboard in Minnesota.
