Trishton Jackson never actually intended to play wide receiver.

In fact, he never even intended to play football.

Jackson grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where he dreamed of starring on the hardwood. He played basketball as a youngster with Grant Gilbert, the son of Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, and sometimes had the chance to attend Cavs games, where he'd grow more and more enamored with LeBron James.

Jackson excelled on the court, eventually becoming a four-year starter on the West Bloomfield High School varsity basketball team. He earned all-state honors from The Associated Press as a junior after averaging 22.5 points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals per game.

As for football? The youngest of five children, four of them boys, Jackson says he played simply because his older brother Obbie played.

And Jackson was really quite good.

He impressed on the football field just like in the gymnasium. His youth league teams went undefeated, and as a high school freshman he was named West Bloomfield's starting quarterback.

"I kind of fell in love with it," Jackson says now, laughing. "I went into high school knowing I was going to play basketball. And then, I kind of fell in love with football."

'A leap of faith'

Twelve years removed from his ninth-grade season, Jackson sits now in a hotel lobby, leaning his lanky frame forward to rest his elbows on his knees. This hotel is ironically – or possibly serendipitously – just a 14-minute walk from where he'd watched James and the Cavs play at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

This time, however, he's in town as an NFL receiver.

Jackson has just wrapped up the first of two Vikings-Browns joint practices, where he continued to flash in preparation for Minnesota's second preseason game. The Saturday contest will kick off in Cleveland one week after the Vikings hosted the Raiders for the teams' first exhibition game – and a 100-yard outing by Jackson that included an impressive touchdown catch from rookie QB J.J. McCarthy.

The 26-year-old smiles again and shakes his head, as if in disbelief of his own story.

"My football journey is pretty unique. Moving to receiver? That's just another crazy story," Jackson says. "I played quarterback, right? And it was fun. But I think I was missing something – and that was being on the other end of the football. I used to throw people the football, and it was cool and everything, but I figured it'd be so much more fun catching it and running routes and stuff like that."

Turns out, he was right.

Former West Bloomfield Head Coach Ron Bellamy, now Michigan's offensive pass game coordinator and receivers coach, recalled the day he first realized Jackson might be missing his true calling.

"He was out of practice. He had sprained his wrist or something and couldn't really handle the football, so he was just messing around pre-practice and running routes, and he just reached up and made a one-handed catch," recounted Bellamy. "And the coaching staff, we all looked at Trishton, like, 'Whoa.' We all looked at each other, like, 'Whoa.' At that point he really couldn't do stuff at quarterback … so the rest of his sophomore season we put him at receiver, and he learned how to play it from there.

"I just think his skill set is [so built for] receiver," Bellamy added. "Sure, he could have gone to colleges and played quarterback, but we all thought receiver was the best position for him long-term – to get to the NFL. He embraced it. He trusted his skills, trusted the process."

Jackson followed the example of his cousin, Braylon Edwards, who also had started as a quarterback before transitioning to wideout, shining at the University of Michigan – where he played alongside Bellamy – and then in 2005 was the third overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Jackson had a front-row seat to Edwards' eight seasons at the pro level, after which he leaned on his cousin's gridiron know-how.

"He was with me every step of the way. I remember I couldn't run routes, I could just catch, and he'd [go through routes] with me every day," Jackson explains. "I was a basketball guy. I never even thought all this was on the table. I was a late bloomer, but I fell in love with it. All of it. And Braylon played a big role, like a big role, in helping me get to the next level – going to the right camps, things to put me in position to be where I might not otherwise be."

Jackson started his collegiate career at Michigan State, his childhood dream school, but opted after two seasons to transfer to Syracuse.

For Jackson, it meant leaving home for the first time.

"I took a leap of faith," he says with conviction. "I ended up going to Syracuse, upstate New York. It was perfect for me. A good, military-minded head coach (Dino Babers) who [emphasized discipline], helped me lock in and stuff like that.

"I took a leap of faith to see how it was gonna play out," Jackson adds, "and look where we're at now."

Determined through it all

In many ways, he's continued to take similar leaps of faith. His NFL career hasn't been without its bumps, from going undrafted in 2020 and joining the Rams for a pandemic-altered rookie season to riding the waves of multiple roster status changes over three seasons in Minnesota:

Transaction Jackson

• 9.2.21 Signed to the Vikings practice squad
• 1.10.22 Signed a reserve/future contract
• 8.30.22 Waived
• 8.31.22 Re-signed to practice squad
• 1.16.23 Signed a reserve/future contract
• 8.29.23 Waived
• 8.30.23 Re-signed to practice squad
• 9.23.23 Elevated to active roster
• 10.11.23 Signed to active roster
• 10.17.23 Waived
• 10.18.23 Re-signed to practice squad
• 10.28.23 Signed to active roster
• 11.21.23 Released
• 11.22.23 Re-signed to practice squad
• 1.8.24 Signed a reserve/future contract

Through it all, Jackson has stayed the course. And it's paying off.

After garnering a level of attention last spring and training camp, as well as during his stints on the active roster, Jackson has really flashed this summer. He's made the most of every opportunity, whether showcasing impressive grabs during training camp practices or making splash plays in last week's game against Las Vegas.

Quarterback Nick Mullens signed with Minnesota in 2022 and has had a front-row seat to Jackson's development over the past two-plus years.

"He's always been a good player," he said, "but this year he's separating versus tight man coverage and making a lot of big-time plays throughout camp."

Mullens called Jackson "the perfect example of trusting the process" in the NFL.

"He didn't have a ton of opportunities in his first couple years but has just continued to work to get better each year," Mullens said. "Last year he got some playing time, showed he was dependable and could make plays. This OTAs and camp he's continued that momentum. Great work ethic, consistent playmaker and positive attitude every day."

A special relationship

Jackson's increased opportunities and successes have been lauded by Mullens and numerous other teammates, perhaps none more than fellow receiver Justin Jefferson.

"You know, he's a hooper, so he knows how to move, how to get open and, I mean, the catch point of the ball, he's definitely making plays out there," Jefferson told media members this week. "He's showing up every time on the film, so the more he shows up, the more he has a chance to be out there on the field on Sunday."

It's undeniable "Jets" really is one of Jackson's biggest fans. During last week's broadcast of the Vikings-Raiders matchup, a mic'd-up Jefferson was heard – and seen – enthusiastically celebrating Jackson's touchdown.

"Yeah, I can't imagine what it feels like for him to be given an opportunity, and not every opportunity is fantastic or great, so for him to be the spotlight of Saturday's game, and to have his first 100-yard game, you know, that's something special for him," Jefferson said. "Especially the way he's been performing this entire training camp and making plays all over the field. So, it was definitely awesome to see him get in the end zone finally, to see him just be excited and happy for that moment."

It's not always the norm for a team's top player, and arguably the league's best, to form unbreakable bonds with a teammate who's conversely battled for his shot.

But when it comes to Jackson and Jefferson, one is rarely seen without the other.

It goes back to the 2020 NFL Combine, they'll explain, where they not only shared a position group but alphabetically were consistently placed alongside one another. From there, the friendship only progressed.

Or really, more of a brotherhood.

"It's crazy you asked that, because me and [Jefferson] were just talking 20 minutes ago about it," says Jackson from his perch on one of the lobby's large ottomans. "I met him at the combine, and we were with each other every step of the way. It feels the same way here. Ever since I got to Minnesota, he's been with me every step of the way.

"He's my brother away from home. He's helped me in every situation – on the field, off the field," Jackson continues. "We always watch film together at his house, but I feel like our relationship is deeper than football. Whatever everybody sees on the football field is like, that's cool, but as far as me and him, we're bigger than football."

The ever-effervescent Jackson grows quiet and pauses, takes a breath, seemingly staving off the briefest moment of emotion.

He says he did become emotional postgame, watching his touchdown and Jefferson's exuberant sprint down the sideline.

"Sometimes I [forget] in our relationship, 'OK, that's Justin Jefferson.' Because that's also my brother," Jackson says. "I know all the hard work I've done, but he sees it in me, too; he knows how good I can be.

"It was just a testimony of how hard I work. How hard we both work together," he added.

Ink and making links

Jackson reminds himself often of the road he's traveled to get here.

He's gathered mementos along the way in the form of numerous tattoos that illustrate his story through needle and ink.

Across his collarbone are the words "Family IS Forever," paying homage to his parents and siblings who have supported him from day one.

"Family isn't always where your feet are. But it's always where your heart is," he tells me.

A bit lower and across his left ribcage is depicted a young Jackson from behind, a backpack slung over his shoulder as he looks down at a rocky path and toward the Detroit skyline. Posted along the path is a sign that reads, "Never Surrender."

"Being from Detroit, that's something we always live with. No matter what situation you're facing, you always be resilient, always show grit, always show respectful," Jackson explains. "It reminds me to stay grounded. To always remember where I come from."

In a way, the boy in Jackson's tattoo drives him to now encourage and inspire youth whenever he can. He sees himself in them.

Jackson most recently left his imprint on Hudson, a young boy who was born with multiple congenital heart defects, has undergone three open-heart surgeries and still sometimes relies on a walker for high-activity days. He and his older brother were among a crowd of hopeful fans Jackson made time to interact with following training camp practice on a hot, muggy afternoon.

Jackson signed Hudson's mini helmet, much to the delight of the young boy. But as an excited Hudson began backing away to show his mother Jamie the fresh ink, the Vikings receiver called him back. Jackson then bent down, slipped out of his black cleats, added his autograph to the side panel of each shoe and handed them happily over the fence to Hudson.

"Honestly the coolest thing I've ever seen a player do," Jamie later posted on a Vikings Kids Club social media page. "We have a new favorite player in our house. Go Number 8!"

Asked about the interaction now, Jackson just offers that grin of his and responds, "It's who I play for."

"That's why I play the game," he says. "Maybe I can't say I've been specifically in Hudson's shoes, but I was a little kid before, and I watched my cousin play in the NFL. I know how it is. And honestly, I can't explain it – it's just in me, I guess. I just want to see kids smile.

"Those things stick with me," Jackson adds. "You never know what somebody's going through. You never know what their journey has been. So yeah, this is why I do it. The wonderful things that God's given me, I just want to give a little something back. Just touch another soul. It makes me happy."