Panthers veteran CB reveals lofty goals for himself in the 2026 season entering a make-or-break contract year with Carolina
Carolina Panthers veteran cornerback Mike Jackson is coming off one of the best seasons of his 7-year NFL career and aims to reach another level in what’s set to be a crucial year for his career.
The Carolina Panthers quietly fielded one of the league’s top cornerback duos during the 2026 season and both players are eager to run it back and really earn some national attention this upcoming season.
Everyone knows about Jaycee Horn, the Panthers’ former first-round draft pick that is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns and paid among some of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. Not as many people know about his right-hand man, veteran outside cornerback Mike Jackson.
Jackson is coming off arguably the best season of his career after signing a two-year, $10.5 million deal prior to the 2025-26 season. Now, he’s set to enter into another contract season and aims to have an even more successful outing in 2026.
Carolina Panthers CB Mike Jackson lays out his 2026 personal and team goals
During a post-practice interview with Sheena Quick, Jackson laid out his personal goals for the 2026 season and he’s setting a mighty high bar for himself.
“For me, I want six picks, take three back to the crib, 10+ PBUs, 80 tackles, no missed tackles, give up less than two touchdowns on the whole year, and one forced fumble and one fumble recovery,” Jackson explained.
For context, Jackson is coming off a season in which he recorded four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, a league-high 19 PBUs, 68 tackles, with one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus had Jackson credited with 12 missed tackles and four touchdowns allowed. So, as lofty as that goal seems initially, it won’t take much to reach those numbers compared to what Jackson achieved last season.
Adding those 12 missed tackles back would give Jackson exactly 80 tackles on the season and leading the team with 97 targets last year proves teams are still willing to test him despite his success, so he just needs to continue capitalizing on those opportunities to take the ball away. If he can do that, or at least sustain the same level from last season, Jackson will be in line for another pay raise in Carolina.
Jackson just turned 29-years-old earlier this season and recently changed agents ahead of this make-or-break season. Such a season could easily land Jackson a two-year, $18-22 million deal, either with the Panthers or with another team if they decide to let him walk.
The Panthers have full confidence he can perform at the high level in this scheme and Jackson’s internal drive to reach these goals can help him get there.