CHARLOTTE—When Mike Jackson was 18 years old, he had to make a decision.

Until then, Jackson had been a dual citizen, holding ties to the United States and Germany.

The son of LaShelle Jackson Spears, an army vet and Michael Kerr, a defensive end playing with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, Jackson was awarded dual nationality from his American parents and being born on German soil.

But as he stepped into adulthood, he had to decide one or the other.

"I went off to college, I had to sign, basically, like sign the rights to give up my citizenship in Germany," Jackson recalled, ahead of the Panthers trip to Germany to face the New York Giants.

All things considered, it wasn't a hard choice for Jackson. His mom moved him back to her hometown of Birmingham, Ala., when he was a toddler. Birmingham is the city that raised him and is (incorrectly) listed as his birthplace on most internet sites. And he was left with an icebreaker that would win most contests of the sort.

"It is a cool fact," Jackson laughed.

But signing those papers meant losing a part of himself that, while Jackson can't tangibly remember, still feels like it's in his blood.

"My first language was actually German," he shared. "But, yeah, so it's kind of cool because not too many people say they're born in another country but were raised in the South. So, I kind of feel like it helped me adapt no matter where I go."

Jackson returned to Germany in 2022 with the Seattle Seahawks to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game was also in Munich, meaning he still hasn't been able to return to his birthplace of Frankfurt. However, when Jackson was traded to the Panthers this offseason, he arrived in Charlotte to find a little piece of his birthplace in his locker.

The equipment staff had placed a German flag sticker on the back of his helmet. It was the first time in his NFL career that part of his history had been acknowledged.

"Like, for me, it's just something different, me being born from there," Jackson said.

This trip can't help but make Jackson daydream, wondering what his life might have looked like if his mom had stayed in Germany longer. For one, he'd probably still be playing football, but more of the fútbol variety.

"I probably would have been playing soccer," Jackson predicted. "I played soccer when I was younger. I played goalie, but I feel like I really would have really been into it because of how we view football in the South; that's how they view soccer."

Instead, he moved to the South and took up American football, a decision that paid dividends for him. Starting opposite Jaycee Horn at corner this season, Jackson has 46 total tackles—second on the team behind Xavier Woods—and trails Horn in total passes defended with seven, including the game-winner on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

This coming Sunday, he and Horn will look to lock down Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton in search of back-to-back wins. And while that will receive the bulk of Jackson's focus, returning to Germany will mean stopping to reflect for at least a moment. Because while he had to make a choice a decade ago, choosing one citizenship over another, at least for a while this weekend, he can once again celebrate both places that made him.

"I think for me it's kind of just get to just be back over there," Jackson reflected. "Even though I'm not actually in Frankfurt, I'm in Germany. So just seeing how they live, thinking, like dang, (what) if I'd stayed over here?"