Vikings announce plans to honor Khyree Jackson during 2024 season

Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings suffered a tragic loss after rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his friends were killed in a car accident in Maryland. It's something that no team ever wants to experience, and the Vikings are, unsurprisingly, still going through the grieving process.

On Monday, Minnesota revealed that they will be honoring Jackson this season in a number of ways. This year, each Vikings player will wear a "KJ" decal on the back of their helmet and coaches will wear a "KJ" pin for every game, Jackson's No. 31 on his jersey and his locker at Minnesota's TCO Performance Center will remain unused for the entire 2024 season, and the team will paint stencils on their practice fields to honor their former defensive back.

In addition to these gestures, the Vikings shared on Monday that they will be donating $20,000 for funeral expenses and Jackson's $827,148 signing bonus will be paid to his estate. His funeral is scheduled for Friday and a number of members of the Vikings are expected to be in attendance, including head coach Kevin O'Connell, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Khyree Jackson was on a path to make a "big impact" on the Minnesota Vikings in 2024

During a press conference with the local Twin Cities media on Monday, O'Connell talked about how, before his tragic passing, Jackson was on his way to making a difference for Minnesota during the upcoming season.

"He had a very, very good spring and was really looking forward to coming back to training camp and being well on his way [and] on that path to having a big impact on our team for this year. Just some of my personal dialogue with him and the work he was putting in throughout the summer, you just knew he was going to come back and do that."

What happened earlier this month with Jackson and his two friends is something that no one is ever prepared to react to. But from everything that the Vikings have said and done since the tragedy, the team is doing everything they possibly can to help anyone who was affected by the terrible event, and that's all one can really ask for.

More Vikings News and Analysis