Seattle Seahawks fans, remember Mike Jackson?
Not the King Of Pop, but the cornerback that burst onto the scene for Pete Carroll’s 2022 team. He sported extreme physicality that made up for his short-area struggles, and broke out as the Seahawks transitioned away from the Russell Wilson era. But as Mike Macdonald began his own era in Seattle in 2024, they were loaded at his position heading into the season. They traded him to Carolina just before the regular season began.
With the Seahawks facing off against the Carolina Panthers this week, Jackson dissed Seattle’s front office for trading him for Michael Barrett, a player no longer in the NFL. Seahawks Wire’s own Justin Melo shed light on the situation earlier this week.
Now, Jackson has become an unsung hero for another surprising contender in the 2025 Panthers. In this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines, Panthers Wire’s Anthony Rizzuti mentioned him as a lesser-known name to watch out for. He’s fit in well there since the trade, pairing nicely as a sidekick to their Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn. Could he spell trouble for Seattle’s passing game in Week 17?
As Rizzuti mentioned, his 78.5 coverage grade is fifth-best among all cornerbacks with at least 200 snaps in the NFL this season. If you remember watching him, he’s exactly the type you don’t want to play against- especially working well as a number two. He’s sure to make a few physical plays and some tone-setting tackles. There are flaws in his game the Seahawks can expose for big plays of their own, though.
Jackson lacks short-area quickness and relies on his ability to get his hands on receivers. If the receivers are slippery enough to beat him off the line, though, he could be in trouble. This makes for a great matchup for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I’d expect Horn to shadow JSN with safety help, but the Seahawks can motion other targets outside and inside of him to get him better matchups, which they were more than willing to do in Week 16’s win over the Rams. If they can motion JSN to Jackson’s side and get Horn off of him, though, that could result in crucial 3rd-down conversions. They can also run JSN on crossing routes against man coverage and clog Horn and Jackson up together, opening up Kupp and the rest of the receiving Corps.
Jackson’s physicality gives him a high level of “dog” in any fight, but the Seahawks quick-twitch offense is built to expose short-area challenged coverage defenders. The horizontal approach can give the Seahawks passing game options and prevent his revenge game narrative that’s been building this week.