The Minnesota Vikings were heartbroken when they learned that rookie CB Khyree Jackson tragically passed away earlier this month. He was only 24 years old. One of Jackson's closest teammates shared some heartfelt words about Jackson earlier this week as training camp kicked off.
Vikings rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner kneeled at one of Jackson's memorials before practice yesterday to honor his late teammate.
“I talk to him all the time … and get the chills every single time I talk to him,” Turner said. “So, I know he's watching over me.”
Turner has the most personal history with Jackson of all the Vikings players. They played a few seasons together at Alabama before Jackson transferred to Oregon in 2023.
Turner placed Jackson's nameplate about his own in the Vikings locker room.
“As long as I'm alive, I'll rep his name,” Turner said.
“So that was really a dude that I saw every single day, and really [I've seen] him grow from Alabama to when he went to Oregon,” Turner said. “He went through his trials and tribulations over there. We ended up at the same place once again. So, I kind of felt like that meant something, and that was my dude every single day after practice [this spring]. He was around with me at the hotel, hanging out with each other in the hotel every day and just talking crap and stuff like that with each other, just having fun.”
“That was a dude that really helped me grow as a person. He helped me realize who I was, and he helped me build my confidence off the field and on the field in a way. But he [was] definitely a very impactful person.”
Dallas Turner will reportedly attend Khyree Jackson's funeral later today.
Vikings make kind gesture after Khyree Jackson's death
The Minnesota Vikings are making an effort to honor Khyree Jackson both on and off the field.
The team will pay a significant portion of Jackson's funeral expenses, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Minnesota will also pay out the rest of Jackson's signing bonus to his estate and will wear a special decal on their helmets in 2024.
They are also ensuring that nobody else will wear Jackson's No. 31 during the 2024 season.
Jackson was a fourth-round pick by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played at both Alabama and Oregon in college, appearing in 33 total games. He was named First-Team All Pac-12 in 2023.
The team and the entire NFL will continue to mourn Jackson throughout the entire 2024 season and beyond. It is good to see the Vikings organization show Jackson's family that they are not alone in remembering and honoring his life.
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