A group of Vikings players gathered at Billy Sushi in downtown Minneapolis this week.

The popular restaurant has become a gathering place in the North Loop neighborhood, and on this particular night, it was playing host to the annual rookie dinner for the defensive backs on the roster.

In preparation for the event, safety Josh Metellus procured a No. 31 jersey, bringing it with him, and draping it over an empty seat at the table.

“Just want to make sure we save a seat for him,” Metellus said. “It’s his rookie dinner, too.”

As the food came in waves throughout the meal — with rookie cornerback Dwight McGlothern on the hook for the bill — cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. found himself looking over at the empty seat at the table.

“It got me thinking a little bit, like, ‘He should be here,’ ” Murphy said. “Just thankful that I was able to meet him and become his brother.”

Though he hasn’t been a part of this season in the flesh, to say rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson hasn’t been present with the Vikings wouldn’t be accurate.

Since the moment Jackson died tragically in a car accident on July 6 in his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Md., the Vikings have done everything in their power to make sure his legacy lives on.

His distinct No. 31 jersey has gone unused this season, as has his locker at TCO Performance Center. His initials “KJ” have appeared on helmets in the form of decals, and on practices fields in the form of stenciling. The equipment staff has adorned his locker for every home game at U.S. Bank Stadium, and every road game wherever the Vikings have played.

Additionally, the Vikings covered more than $20,000 in expenses for the funeral, paid out his signing bonus to his estate, and made his mother Ebbony, father Raymond, and brother Kolston as the honorary captains for the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders

“Our way of honoring him is something that meant a lot to us, so we put a lot of time into thinking about that,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We wanted to make sure that it was something we were really proud of, for the sake of his family and his memory, which will stick with us forever.”

Ask anybody on the Vikings about Jackson and they will have a story to tell, a perfect example of the impact he made in such a short amount of time.

As the player who sat next to him in the locker room at TCO Performance Center, star tight end T.J. Hockenson admired the way Jackson carried himself. There was a glow about Jackson, Hockenson said, which made everybody gravitate towards him.

That feeling has stuck with Hockenson and now, each morning he arrives at TCO Performance Center, he takes a few seconds to look over and let Jackson know that he’s thinking about him.

“I’m a spiritual person, so I know where he’s at,” Hockenson said. “I know he’s taken care of. I also know he’s taking care of us.”

Not far from Hockenson in the locker room at TCO Performance Center, rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner has hung Jackson’s nameplate above his own, displaying it prominently for everybody to see.

They built a bond as college teammates at Alabama that was strengthened by the fact they were selected by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I still talk to him before I go out to practice,” Turner said. “It’s every single day for me.”

The same goes for McGlothern, who got close to Jackson during their time together, and envisioned a future with both of them contributing on the field at the same time.

“That was my best friend up here,” McGlothern said. “We hung out every single day when we first got here. Most of the guys have families and stuff, so we had each other. I’m still missing him.”

As much as the Vikings have made sure Jackson hasn’t been forgotten, his spirit itself has been subtly woven into the fabric of this team.

“Just the joy that he had playing was the biggest thing I remember about him,” safety Cam Bynum said. “We’ve tried to make that the story of this season.”

You know the celebrations that have slowly started to become synonymous with the Vikings after every turnover? It’s not hard to imagine Jackson challenging Bynum for the title of lead choreographer.

“He was always having fun when he was out here,” Murphy said. “He would’ve been front and center with all of those dances.”

This is exactly what defensive coordinator Brian Flores hoped for when he talked to his players back in training camp. As he navigated his own grief at the time, Flores emphasized that the best way to honor Jackson would be by playing the game the way he did.

That meant being fast and physical between the whistles. That also meant having fun with everything that they did.

“Hopefully we’ve done that,” Flores said. “I think he’s watching us and appreciative of the fact that we’re having a good time.”

As the group of Vikings players got their check at Billy Sushi this week, they got the server to play along with a prank, hitting McGlothern with a fake total that was way more than the actual cost.

In that moment the empty seat at the table once again came into focus.

Not only would Jackson be helping McGlothern pay the bill had he been in attendance, he very much would have appreciated the prank, and his laughter would have been infectious.

“I wish he was here,” McGlothern said. “He would fit right in and bring out the best in us.”

If anything is clear, it’s that Jackson is doing just that, even if he’s not around to see it.

“We can feel him,” Metellus said. “He’s up there looking down on us.”

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