Inside The Vikings

Former Vikings First-Round Pick Jeff Gladney Passes Away at 25 Years Old

Stunning and tragic news about the former TCU standout.
Will Ragatz|
Former Vikings First-Round Pick Jeff Gladney Passes Away at 25 Years Old
Former Vikings First-Round Pick Jeff Gladney Passes Away at 25 Years Old

Incredibly sad news: former Vikings first-round pick Jeff Gladney, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals in March, has passed away at the age of 25. According to his agent Brian Overstreet, Gladney was one of two people who died in a car accident in Dallas at around 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

“We are asking prayers for the family and privacy at this most difficult time,” Overstreet said.

The news was first broken publicly by Gladney's TCU teammate and fellow 2020 first-rounder Jalen Reagor, and was confirmed by TCU reporters shortly afterwards.

Justin Jefferson, who was taken by the Vikings nine spots before they drafted Gladney, also shared the news and offered condolences.

This is awful, tragic news about a 25-year-old who was set to have another NFL opportunity this year.

Gladney was born in New Boston, Texas. He starred at New Boston High School and became a three-star recruit, committing to TCU in 2014. After redshirting as a freshman, Gladney developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the country. From 2016 to 2019, he played in 44 games, recording 146 tackles, 37 passes defended, and five interceptions.

One of the top CB prospects in the 2020 draft, Gladney was taken at No. 31 overall by the Vikings. He wound up starting 15 games his rookie year, finishing with 81 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three passes defended.

The Vikings released Gladney in August 2021 after he was indicted on domestic violence charges. He was found not guilty in March 2022 and signed with the Cardinals later that month.

Just a week ago, Gladney was participating in Cardinals OTAs, getting ready to compete for playing time after missing all of last season.

Rest in peace, Jeff Gladney. Thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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