# Mike Jackson (cornerback)

Michael Jackson (born January 10, 1997) is an American professional football cornerback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

## Early life

Jackson attended Spain Park High School. In the summer before his senior season, Jackson said that he wanted to go out of his home state of Alabama to play college football. 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 by blocking an extra point and field goal in the fourth quarter.
Jackson committed to University of Miami in late October 2014 after visiting the campus the previous June, choosing the school over Minnesota, Georgia, LSU and Nebraska. He was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com.

## College career

As a freshman, he played mainly on special teams. 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 (tied for the team lead) and 5 pass breakups. He was on a roll in October, intercepting a pass against Florida State University and two more two weeks later against Syracuse University.
On January 5, 2018, Jackson announced on his Twitter 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 2019 NFL draft. 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.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
| 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.45 s | 1.60 s | 2.64 s | 4.12 s | 7.12 s | 40.5 in (1.03 m) | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) | 13 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine ||||||||||||

### Dallas Cowboys

Jackson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (158th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 31 and signed to the practice squad on September 2.

### Detroit Lions

On October 30, 2019, Jackson was signed by the Detroit Lions off the Cowboys practice squad. He appeared in one game and was declared inactive in eight contests. He played only two special teams snaps in the eleventh game against the Washington Redskins and did not post any statistics.

### New England Patriots

On August 9, 2020, the Lions announced that they had waived Jackson. However later that day, he was traded to the New England Patriots for a conditional 2022 seventh-round draft pick. He was waived on September 3, 2020. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 28. He was promoted to the active roster on January 2, 2021. He played in the season finale against the New York Jets and had one tackle. He was waived on August 31, 2021.

### Seattle Seahawks

On September 2, 2021, Jackson was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 10, 2022.
On September 18, 2022, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Jackson scored his first career touchdown. After Tariq Woolen blocked a Robbie Gould field goal attempt, Jackson recovered the ball and returned it for an 85-yard score.

### Carolina Panthers

On August 22, 2024, the Seahawks traded Jackson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for rookie linebacker Michael Barrett. He started all 17 games, recording 76 tackles, 17 pass deflections, and two interceptions.
On March 12, 2025, Jackson signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract extension with the Panthers.

## Personal life

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