Inside The Vikings

Josh Metellus dedicates his season to late teammate Khyree Jackson

Metellus is devastated by the loss of his teammate and plans to honor him this season.

Will Ragatz

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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Vikings safety Josh Metellus was stunned and devastated when he heard the news that rookie teammate Khyree Jackson had died in a car accident earlier this month.

"That was tough, man," Metellus told KSTP's Darren Wolfson. "I was on a flight back from London and one of the players texted me and told me the news. I literally broke down in tears in the middle of the plane. I (had) just talked to him a couple days before, telling how when we go to Chicago I was gonna take him shopping and do all these things. To see a guy who was so dedicated, so energetic, to not even get a chance to put on a uniform and play with his brothers, it definitely hurts."

Jackson's tragic death in the early hours of July 6 was a shock to everyone who knew him and the entire football world. The 24-year-old had come so far to get to this point, going from working non-football jobs to playing at a community college to starring at Oregon and getting drafted in the fourth round earlier this year. He had all kinds of potential on the field and was a joyful person off of it.

The Vikings will undoubtedly honor Jackson in various ways throughout the upcoming season. Metellus told Wolfson he plans to dedicate his season to his fallen teammate.

"We gotta play for him, we gotta do everything moving forward in his name," Metellus said. "I know my season's gonna be dedicated to him in every way possible. I'ma go out there and play for him and his family because I know that's what he would want. I just wish the best for his family and everybody that was hurt by this. I know we're hurt. I know once we see the guys next week all together, we're all going to grieve together and pick each other up because we definitely need it."

Like Metellus said, the start of training camp next week will allow for Vikings players, coaches, and staffers to come together and support each other as they grieve as a team. In the time since Jackson's passing, they've had to do that from afar. Metellus said he's made sure to reach out to teammates and other people in his life to let them know how much he cares about them.

"Lot of group texting, lot of reaching out to guys," he said. "Social media, phone calls, just checking on mental states. That could've been any of us. That's what's so precious about this. I know, me specifically, I went straight to the DB group chat and told the guys 'be safe,' how much I love them, how much they meant to me. Not even just them — family, friends I haven't talked to. Just to make sure everybody knows that I love them and how much they mean to me even though I don't talk to them all the time.

"I know Harrison (Smith) told us to promise that we'll all make it back and see each other. That was a big thing Flo (Brian Flores) talked about when we left OTAs, like 'let's just make it back.' We already got one guy down, so it's just one of those things, man. We just gotta lean on each other and that's what the brotherhood is for."

Related: Still no charges in connection to triple-fatal crash involving Khyree Jackson

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ