Dallas Cowboys The
Dallas Cowboys selected Jackson in the fifth round (158th overall) of the
2019 NFL draft. He was the 17th cornerback drafted.
2019 season On May 10, 2019, the
Dallas Cowboys signed Jackson to a four–year, $2.82 million
rookie contract that included a
signing bonus of $303,420. On August 31, the Cowboys waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts. On September 2, the Cowboys re-signed him to the
practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Detroit Lions On October 30, 2019, the
Detroit Lions signed Jackson from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad and added him to their active roster. Head coach
Matt Patricia named him a backup and listed him as the seventh cornerback on the depth chart, behind
Darius Slay,
Justin Coleman,
Rashaan Melvin,
Mike Ford,
Dee Virgin, and
Jamal Agnew. He was inactive as a healthy scratch for the first three games (Weeks 9–11). On November 24, Jackson made his professional regular season debut, but was limited to two snaps on special teams as the Lions lost 16–19 at the
Washington Redskins. He subsequently remained inactive for the last five games (Weeks 13–17) of the season.
New England Patriots On August 9, 2020, the Detroit Lions chose not to waive Jackson and instead, traded him to the
New England Patriots for a conditional seventh-round pick in the
2022 NFL draft. On September 3, the Patriots waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts. On September 28, the Patriots re-signed him to their practice squad. On January 2, 2021, Jackson was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. He played in the season finale against the
New York Jets and had one tackle. On August 31, 2021, the
New England Patriots waived Jackson as part of their final roster cuts.
Seattle Seahawks On September 2, 2021, Jackson was signed to the
Seattle Seahawks' practice squad. On December 28, the Seahawks activated Jackson from their practice squad and added him to their active roster. He was activated due to injuries to multiple players, including
Gavin Heslop,
Sidney Jones,
Tre Brown, and
Blessuan Austin. Upon his addition to the active roster, head coach
Pete Carroll named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind starting cornerbacks
D. J. Reed and
John Reid. On January 2, 2022, Jackson made his debut with the Seahawks and had one tackle and made two pass deflections during a 51-29 victory against the
Detroit Lions. He only appeared in two games in 2021 and finished with two combined tackles (one solo) and two pass deflections.
2022 season On January 10, 2022, the
Seattle Seahawks signed Jackson to a reserve/future contract. Defensive coordinator
Ken Norton Jr. was fired after the
2021 NFL season and defensive line coach
Clint Hurtt was promoted to defensive coordinator as his replacement. Throughout
training camp, Jackson competed against
Artie Burns,
Coby Bryant,
Tre Brown,
Tariq Woolen,
Justin Coleman, and
John Reid to earn a role as a starting cornerback. On August 31, the Seahawks unexpectedly traded
Sidney Jones to the
Las Vegas Raiders, although he was expected to start at cornerback. Head coach
Pete Carroll named Jackson the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with rookie Tariq Woolen. Between Woolen and Jackson, only Jackson had experience that was limited to 29 snaps on defense on two games. On September 12, Jackson earned his first career start in the Seahawks' home-opener against the
Denver Broncos and made four solo tackles, one pass deflection, and had two fumble recoveries during a 17–16 victory. In week 2, Jackson recorded six combined tackles (five solo) and scored his first career touchdown on a blocked field goal return after teammate
Tariq Woolen blocked a 20–yard field goal attempt by
Robbie Gould, that Jackson recovered and returned for an 86–yard touchdown in the third quarter of a 7–27 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers. In Week 8, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and with three pass deflections during a 27–13 win against the
New York Giants. On January 1, 2023, Jackson made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by
Mike White to wide receiver
Garrett Wilson during a 22–6 win against the
New York Jets. He started all 17 games in 2022 and had a total of 75 combined tackles (63 solo), 12 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown. Jackson received an overall grade of 60.2 from Pro Football Focus for his performance during the regular season. In Week 3, Jackson set a season-high with six solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 37–27 victory against the
Carolina Panthers. He was named a starting cornerback beginning in week 15 after Devon Witherspoon suffered a lower back injury. In week 15, Jackson made four solo tackles and set a season-high with two pass deflections as the Seahawks defeated the
Philadelphia Eagles 20–17. He finished the
2023 NFL season with 34 combined tackles (28 solo) and five pass deflections in 17 games and four starts.
2024 season On January 31, 2024, the
Seattle Seahawks announced their decision to hire
Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator
Mike Macdonald to be their new head coach after the departure of
Pete Carroll. During training camp, Jackson competed against Tre Brown, Artie Burns,
Nehemiah Pritchett, and
D. J. James to be a primary backup cornerback.
Carolina Panthers 2024 On August 22, 2024, the Seahawks traded Jackson to the
Carolina Panthers in exchange for rookie linebacker
Michael Barrett. The week prior, the Panthers expected No. 2 starting cornerback
Dane Jackson suffered a hamstring injury during practice and was expected to six weeks. Head coach
Dave Canales and Jackson had previously known one another when they were both with the
Seattle Seahawks from
2021 and
2022. Immediately upon his arrival, defensive coordinator
Ejiro Evero named Jackson the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with
Jaycee Horn. On September 22, Jackson made nine solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and helped secure the Panthers' 36–22 victory at the
Las Vegas Raiders after intercepting a pass by
Gardner Minshew to wide receiver
Davante Adams in the fourth quarter. On October 27, Jackson set a season-high with ten combined tackles (nine solo) as the Panthers lost 14–28 at the
Denver Broncos. In week 18, Jackson had four combined tackles (one solo), made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Michael Penix Jr. to wide receiver
Ray-Ray McCloud and returned it for a season-long 19–yards during a 44–38 overtime victory at the
Atlanta Falcons. He started all 17 games during the
2024 NFL season and finished with a total of 76 combined tackles (58 solo), 17 pass deflections, and two interceptions.
2025 On March 12, 2025, the
Carolina Panthers signed Jackson to a two–year, $10.50 million contract extension that includes $7.70 million guaranteed, $5.70 million guaranteed upon signing, and an initial
signing bonus of $4.00 million. The agreement has a maximum value of $14.50 million with incentives included. In Week 13 against the
Los Angeles Rams, Jackson intercepted
Matthew Stafford and returned the ball 48 yards for a touchdown. Jackson started all 17 games for Carolina during the regular season, recording 68 tackles, a forced fumble, four interceptions, and a league-leading 19 passes defended. ==NFL career statistics==