Michael Jackson (born January 10, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

and was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

in the fifth round of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

Early life

Jackson attended

Spain Park High School Spain Park High School (SPHS) is a four-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Hoover, that includes the Greystone Golf & Country Club–a 4000-acre master-planned golf community. It is the smaller of two high schools in t ...

. In the summer before his senior season, Jackson said that he wanted to go out of his home state of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

to play

. During his senior season in 2014, he was named co-Alabama High School Player of the Week in mid-October after preserving a 14–13 win over

Vestavia Hills High School Vestavia Hills High School (VHHS), founded in 1970, is a public high school in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Vestavia Hills City Schools. A number of teachers in the school are Nation ...

by blocking an extra point and field goal in the fourth quarter. Jackson committed to

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

in late October 2014 after visiting the campus the previous June, choosing the school over

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. He was rated as a three-star recruit by

247Sports.com 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount. The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite bei ...

College career

As a freshman, he played mainly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. As a sophomore, he was a backup, tallying 7 tackles (2 solo), one pass breakup and one fumble recovery. As a junior, he appeared in all 13 games with 10 starts. He collected 43 tackles, 4

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

(tied for the team lead) and 5 pass breakups. He was on a roll in October, intercepting a pass against

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

and two more two weeks later against

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

. On January 5, 2018, Jackson announced on his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account that he would return to the Hurricanes for his senior season. He was projected in some publications to go in the first round of the

. As a senior, he started all 13 games, posting 42 tackles (3.5 tackles for loss), 2.5 sacks and 6 pass breakups (second on the team). After his senior season, Jackson was named honorable mention all-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

The

selected Jackson in the fifth round (158th overall) of the

. He was the 17th cornerback drafted.

2019

On May 10, 2019, the Dallas Cowboys signed Jackson to a four–year, $2.82 million

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

that included a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $303,420. Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, and

Chidobe Awuzie Chidobe Richard Awuzie (born May 24, 1995) is an American professional football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected by the Dallas Cowb ...

under Cowboys' defensive coordinator

Rod Marinelli Rodney Henry Marinelli (born July 13, 1949) is a former American football coach. For 48 consecutive years, he had been a defensive coach for several college and professional teams, serving primarily as a defensive line coach when not assigned as ...

. On August 31, 2019, the Dallas Cowboys waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts. On September 2, 2019, the Cowboys signed him to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

after he cleared waivers.

Detroit Lions

On October 30, 2019, the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

signed Jackson from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad and added him to their active roster. Head coach

Matt Patricia Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. He previously served 15 non-consecutive seasons as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots of the National ...

named him a backup and listed him as the seventh cornerback on the depth chart, behind

Darius Slay Darius Demetrius Slay Jr. (born January 1, 1991) is an American professional football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Itawamba before transferring to Mississippi State ...

Justin Coleman Justin Jamal Coleman (born March 27, 1993) is an American football cornerback and nickelback who is a free agent. He played college football at Tennessee, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has also been ...

, Rashaan Melvin, Mike Ford, Dee Virgin, and

Jamal Agnew Jamal Agnew (born April 3, 1995) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego Toreros. On September 26, 2021, ...

. He was inactive as a healthy scratch for the first three games (weeks 9–11). On November 24, 2019, Jackson made his professional regular season debut, but was limited to two snaps on special teams as the Lions lost 16–19 at the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. He subsequently remained inactive for the last five games (weeks 13–17) of the season.

2020

He entered training camp as a backup cornerback and competed for a roster spot against Mike Ford,

Amani Oruwariye Amani Horatio Oruwariye ( ; born February 9, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State. Early life Oruwariye lettered for three ...

Darryl Roberts Darryl Bevon Roberts (born 26 September 1983, in Saint Joseph) is a Trinidadian footballer who last played for Kaya F.C–Iloilo and for the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Club career Youth and amateur In Trinidad and Tobago, he attended ...

, and Tony McRae. On August 9, 2020, the

announced their intention to waive Jackson.

New England Patriots

On August 9, 2020, the Detroit Lions chose not to waive Jackson and instead, traded him to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

for a conditional seventh-round pick in the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. On September 3, 2020, the Patriots waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts. On September 28, 2020, the Patriots re-signed him to the practice squad. On January 2, 2021, he was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. He played in the season finale against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and had one tackle.

2021

On August 31, 2021, the

waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts.

Seattle Seahawks

On September 2, 2021, Jackson was signed to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

practice squad. On December 28, 2021, the Seattle Seahawks activated Jackson from their practice squad and added him to their active roster. He was activated due to injuries to multiple players, including Gavin Heslop, Sidney Jones,

Tre Brown Reginald "Tre" Brown (born September 24, 1997) is an American professional football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. Early life Brown was born as ...

, and Blessuan Austin. Upon his addition to the active roster, head coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind starting cornerbacks D. J. Reed and John Reid. On January 2, 2022, Jackson made his debut with the Seahawks and had one tackle and made two pass deflections during a 51-29 victory against the

. He only appeared in two games in 2021 and finished with two combined tackles (one solo) and two pass deflections.

2022

On January 10, 2022, the

signed Jackson to a reserve/future contract. Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. was fired after the

2021 NFL season The 2021 NFL season was the 102nd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season was the first to feature a 17-game regular season schedule as the league expanded the season from 16 games. The regular season started on September 9, ...

and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt was promoted to defensive coordinator as his replacement. Throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, Jackson competed against

Artie Burns Artie Tyrone Burns Jr. (born May 1, 1995) is an American professional football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steel ...

Coby Bryant Coby Bryant (born March 29, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Early life Bryant grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, ...

, Tariq Woolen,

, and John Reid to earn a role as a starting cornerback. On August 31, 2022, the Seahawks unexpectedly traded Sidney Jones to the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, although he was expected to start at cornerback. Head coach

named Jackson the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with rookie Tariq Woolen. Between Woolen and Jackson, only Jackson had experience that was limited to 29 snaps on defense on two games. On September 12, 2022, Jackson earned his first career start in the Seattle Seahawks' home-opener against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and made four solo tackles, one pass deflection, and had two fumble recoveries during a 17–16 victory. In week 2, Jackson recorded six combined tackles (five solo) and scored his first career touchdown on a blocked field goal return after teammate Tariq Woolen blocked a 20–yard field goal attempt by

Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...

, that Jackson recovered and returned for an 86–yard touchdown in the third quarter of a 7–27 loss at the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. In week 8, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and with three pass deflections during a 27–13 win against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. On January 1, 2023, Jackson made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by Mike White to wide receiver

Garrett Wilson Garrett Wilson (born July 22, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected 10th overall by the Je ...

during a 22–6 win against the

. He started all 17 games in 2022 and had a total of 75 combined tackles (63 solo), 12 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown. He received an overall grade of 60.2 from Pro Football Focus in 2022.

2023

He entered training camp projected to be demoted to a backup cornerback due to the progression of second-year cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant as well as the arrival of

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

first-round pick (fifth overall) Devon Witherspoon. He competed against Tre Brown, Kyu Blu Kelly, and

to be the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. Head coach Pete Carroll named him a backup and listed him as the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Tariq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Coby Bryant, and Tre Brown. In week 3, Jackson set a season-high with six solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 37–27 victory against the

. He was named a starting cornerback beginning in week 15 after Devon Witherspoon suffered a lower back injury. In week 15, Jackson made four solo tackles and set a season-high with two pass deflections as the Seahawks defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

20–17. He finished the

2023 NFL season The 2023 NFL season was the 104th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season began on September 7, 2023, with defending Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City losing to Detroit in the NFL Kickoff Game, and ended on January ...

with 34 combined tackles (28 solo) and five pass deflections in 17 games and four starts. He received an overall grade of 77.0 from

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

in 2023.

2024

On January 31, 2024, the

announced their decision to hire Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator

Mike Macdonald Michael Macdonald (born June 26, 1987) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the B ...

to be their new head coach after the departure of

. During training camp, Jackson competed against Tre Brown, Artie Burns, Nehemiah Pritchett, and

D. J. James Desmond "D. J." James (born March 5, 2001) is an American professional football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and Auburn Tigers. Early life and hig ...

to be a primary backup cornerback.

Carolina Panthers

On August 22, 2024, the Seattle Seahawks traded Jackson to the

in exchange for rookie linebacker Michael Barrett. The week prior, the Panthers expected No. 2 starting cornerback Dane Jackson suffered a hamstring injury during practice and was expected to six weeks. Head coach

Dave Canales David Canales (born May 7, 1981) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Azusa Pacific Cougars football, A ...

and Jackson had previously known one another when they were both with the

from

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. Immediately upon his arrival, defensive coordinator

Ejiro Evero Ejiro Evero (born 6 January 1981) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams ...

named Jackson the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with

Jaycee Horn Jaycee Carrington Horn (born November 26, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected eighth ...

. On September 22, 2024, Jackson made nine solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and helped secure the Panthers' 36–22 victory at the

after intercepting a pass by

Gardner Minshew Gardner Flint Minshew II (born May 16, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career with the Northwest Mississipp ...

to wide receiver

Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons of college football for the Fresno State Bu ...

in the fourth quarter. On October 27, 2024, Jackson set a season-high with ten combined tackles (nine solo) as the Panthers lost 14–28 at the

. In week 18, Jackson had four combined tackles (one solo), made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by

Michael Penix Jr. Michael Tarrence Penix Jr. ( ; born May 8, 2000) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). After three seasons of college football with the Indiana Hoosiers ...

to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud and returned it for a season-long 19–yards during a 44–38 overtime victory at the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He started all 17 games during the

2024 NFL season The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season concluded on ...

and finished with a total of 76 combined tackles (58 solo), 17 pass deflections, and two interceptions. He received an overall grade of 68.0 from

, which ranked 64th among 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.

2025

On March 12, 2025, the

signed Jackson to a two–year, $10.50 million contract extension that includes $7.70 million guaranteed, $5.70 million guaranteed upon signing, and an initial

of $4.00 million. The agreement has a maximum value of $14.50 million with incentives included.

Personal life

Jackson's son, Michael Jackson Jr., was born in April 2018.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioMiami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Mike Sr. 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama American football cornerbacks Miami Hurricanes football players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players New England Patriots players Seattle Seahawks players Carolina Panthers players