Fred Jackson - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Release Fred Jackson, 11 Others

August 31st, 2015 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

9:58am: In addition to Jackson and the three other players noted below, eight other players have been cut by the Bills, getting the team’s roster count down to 77 players. Here are today’s other cuts in Buffalo, per a team release:

Michael Buchanan, DE
Justin Hamilton, DT
Ellis Lankster, CB
Kenny Ladler, S
Wes Miller, S
D.J. Morrell, G
Cedric Reed, DE
Ricky Seale, RB

9:15am: The Bills’ first series of roster cuts this week includes a bit of a shocker, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has released veteran running back Fred Jackson. While Buffalo had a crowded depth chart at the position, it was expected to be a younger back, rather than Jackson, who became a casualty of the roster crunch.

Jackson, who debuted with the Bills in 2007 and had been with the team since then, is the league’s oldest running back, at age 34. Despite his age, Jackson doesn’t have a ton of mileage on his legs, since he started his career late and has split carries with other backs throughout his tenure with the Bills. Over the course of his eight-year career, Jackson has compiled 5,646 rushing yards and 80 rushing touchdowns on 1,279 carries. He’s also a capable receiver out of the backfield, setting a career high in 2014 with 90 targets.

While Jackson was slowed by a hamstring injury earlier in the training camp this year, he looked good in his preseason debut this weekend, carrying the ball five times for 48 yards. But rather than playing out the final year of his contract with the Bills, Jackson will be looking for a new team. Had he remained on Buffalo’s roster, he would have been due a base salary of $2.35MM, so the team saves a little money by releasing him. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jackson wasn’t asked to take a pay cut before he was released.

Following the Bills’ acquisition of LeSean McCoy in March, multiple reports indicated that Jackson would remain on the roster, but it seems the team had a change of heart after assessing its options this summer. With Jackson no longer in the picture, McCoy will be backed up by Karlos Williams, Boobie Dixon, and Bryce Brown.

Jackson won’t have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent, so he’ll have the chance to sign with a new team immediately. He figures to draw some interest from teams in need of a veteran back around the NFL — the Browns come to mind as one logical suitor.

The Bills figure to announce their full list of cuts down to 75 players either today or tomorrow, but some other names have started to trickle out as well. Agent Brett Tessler tweets that edge defender Andrew Hudson has been cut by the Bills, while Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the team has also waived offensive lineman Terren Jones. Last year’s fourth-round pick, cornerback Ross Cockrell, has been waived too, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Rumors: Revis, Mariota, Washington

March 11th, 2015 at 11:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets had a significantly higher offer on the table for cornerback Darrelle Revis than the Patriots did, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Howe isn’t exactly sure of what the gap was, but the Pats apparently didn’t approach the five-year, $70MM pact that includes $39MM in guaranteed cash. Howe (link) was also told that the Patriots did not give Revis permission to explore his value from the competition before the official opening of free agency on Tuesday like they did with Browner. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

John Clayton of ESPN.com (on Twitter) is convinced that Washington will take quarterback Marcus Mariota if he falls to No. 5 overall.
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN said on 97.5 The Fanatic that relative of Nick Foles relative said the quarterback is ecstatic to no longer be a member of the Eagles, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “I just talked to a member of Nick Foles’ family. He is absolutely pumped, overjoyed he’s out of Philly,” Paolantonio said. Foles is now a member of the Rams following Tuesday’s trade.
New Washington defensive lineman Stephen Paea says the Lions, Broncos, and Buccaneers were also in the mix for his services, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
When asked if the Bills ever considered cutting running back Fred Jackson, GM Doug Whaley flatly said “no,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Whaley also said that he does not have a framework of a deal with fullback Jerome Felton, Joe Buscaglia of WGR tweets.
Earlier today, we rounded up the latest on Cowboys free agent running back DeMarco Murray.

Bills Intend To Keep Fred Jackson

March 9th, 2015 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

3:24pm: Jackson will remain in Buffalo with no changes to his contract, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

2:49pm: As of early this afternoon, personnel executives from four other teams were under the impression that Jackson is or would be available, tweets Graham. That doesn’t necessarily mean the running back will become available, but it sounds like there’s no resolution here yet.

2:10pm: According to Graham (via Twitter), the Bills have approached Jackson about restructuring his contract. Since the running back is in the final year of his deal, reworking that contract would have to involve either a pay cut or an extension. Either way, the team wants Jackson to stay in Buffalo, says Graham.

1:07pm: The Bills are set to finalize their acquisition of one of the top running backs in the league tomorrow when they officially trade for LeSean McCoy. Buffalo also traded a fourth-round pick for Bryce Brown, who remains in the club’s plans, and continues to carry Anthony Dixon, a solid special-teamer. On top of all that, the team is said to have real interest in free agent back Bilal Powell.

Where does longtime Bill Fred Jackson stand in such a crowded backfield? According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), one Bills source says the NFL’s oldest running back “isn’t going anywhere.” A second source tells Graham that owner Terry Pegula got involved in the situation — Pegula’s exact involvement isn’t specified, but implication is that the team’s new owner wants to see Jackson remain on the roster.

Jackson, who turned 34 last month, has been a mainstay on the Bills’ offense since joining the team in 2007. While he’s one of the few backs in the NFL approaching his mid-30s, Jackson doesn’t necessarily have a ton of wear and tear on his body — he has just 1,279 carries over his eight-year careeer, or about the equivalent of three seasons worth of DeMarco Murray circa 2014.

Still, if the Bills were to part ways with Jackson, he would hardly be the first player this offseason unceremoniously cut by his longtime team. Buffalo could clear the veteran’s entire $2.731MM cap hit for 2015 by releasing him, so we’ll have to wait and see what the team ultimately decides.

AFC East Notes: Wallace, Caserio, Bills

December 28th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Dolphins‘ receiver Mike Wallace was benched during today’s game against the Jets for what was apparently an attitude problem, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). Breer highlights this as a situation to watch going forward into the offseason.

Wallace is signed through 2017, with cap numbers of $12.1MM, $13.7MM, and $13.7MM the next three seasons. The team would only save $2.5MM by cutting him this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

The Patriots extended the contract of director of player personnel Nick Caserio earlier today, and one reason for this could be the opinion of head coach Bill Belichick, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “He contributes in a lot of different ways, and I’m glad I have him. I need him,” Belichick said. “He probably does more than any other person in his position in the league in terms of his amount of responsibility and the number of different things at the coaching and scouting level. He’s really a valuable guy that has great working knowledge of really everything that we do on the scouting end and the coaching end.”
Bills‘ CEO Russ Brandon and head coach Doug Marrone both confirmed that they do not have any scheduled meetings with new owners Terry and Kim Pegula, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “I’m sure at some point we’ll get into some more in-depth meetings,” Brandon said. “There’s nothing scheduled at this point. I talk to Terry all the time, and I have nothing on the books right now for any meetings.” Marrone confirmed that he had not been contacted regarding a meeting.
Marrone has three days after the end of the season to opt out of his contract with the Bills due to a change in ownership, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio does not believe Marrone will exercise this clause in his contract.
Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson earned an incentive of $150,000 in the team’s Week 17 victory over the Patriots, reports Rodak (via Twitter).

Bills Notes: Spiller, Jackson, Hoffman

October 20th, 2014 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

While it looks like running back C.J. Spiller will be sidelined for the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone on Sunday, the team is holding off on any injured reserve decision until after his surgery, head coach Doug Marrone indicated today (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550). Buffalo has yet to use its designated to return slot, so that could be an option for Spiller if the club feels as if he has a a chance to return by December, though placing him on season-ending IR appears more likely.

Here’s more on the Bills:

Spiller earns a spot on Jason Fitzgerald’s weekly “Stock Down” list at OverTheCap.com, since his injury will likely result in a one-year, prove-it type contract for 2015.
The Bills are still working through their options when it comes to adding a running back to the roster in the wake of injuries to Spiller and Fred Jackson, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
Jackson confirmed today that the recovery timetable for his injury is typically four weeks, though he won’t require surgery and hopes to return sooner than that (Twitter links).
The Bills are working out former BYU wideout Cody Hoffman today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
As Rodak tweets, the Bills will soon have to start considering contract extensions for Jerry Hughes and Marcell Dareus, who have combined for 12.5 sacks so far this year. Hughes is eligible for free agency at season’s end, while Dareus had his fifth-year option for 2015 exercised.

Injury Updates: Sunday

October 19th, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Several big names who have been contending with injuries are expected to suit up for their Week 7 matchups today. Be sure to check back here when the games begin to keep an eye on any significant injuries that may arise over the course of today’s action:

Falcons‘ offensive lineman Peter Konz will have an MRI tomorrow, but a source has said that the injury is considered to be severe and will cost him the trip to London if not more, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN (via Twitter).
Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson‘s injury is thought to keep him out of the lineup for a maximum of four weeks, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). He notes that four weeks is the worst-case scenario.

Earlier Updates:

Fred Jackson suffered a groin injury during today’s game, and he will miss at least two weeks, per La Canfora (on Twitter). The Bills have a bye during Week 9, so it’s possible the veteran running back could return for Week 10.
Bears first-round cornerback Kyle Fuller has suffered a broken hand in addition to a hip pointer, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). There’s no word on how long the rookie will be sidelined, but as La Canfora notes, “it’s hard to play corner [with one] hand.”
In an unfortunate turn of events, Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman broke his foot during warmups, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Terry Blount of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict had already been dealing with concussion issues during recent weeks, and now head coach Marvin Lewis tells reporters, including Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link), that Burfict has a “cervical neck strain.”
Having recovered from a minor groin injury, Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers was forced from today’s game against the Chiefs with a concussion, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Ravens long-snapper Morgan Cox tore his ACL, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Harbaugh confirms the team will immediately begin looking for a new LS.
Saints center Jonathan Goodwin had to be helped off the field during Sunday’s loss to the Lions, according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com. Tim Lelito is Goodwin’s direct backup.
Also per Sessler, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo suffered a pectoral injury today, and will undergo an MRI tomorrow. A significant injury to Orakpo could mean more playing time for rookie Trent Murphy.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Bengals WR A.J. Green will not play against the Colts.
Saints TE Jimmy Graham is expected to take the field against the Lions today, but he wants to test his shoulder prior to the game before officially declaring himself ready, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter adds (via Twitter) that even if Graham does play, he is not expected to start, and NFL Network’s Albert Breer tweets that he expects the Saints to use Graham in red-zone packages as they have done when he has been banged up in the past.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin, who has been dealing with a concussion, has been cleared to play against the Packers this afternoon.

C.J. Spiller Breaks Collarbone, Out For Season

October 19th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

5:56pm: A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter) that Spiller will miss the rest of the season.

4:53pm: Spiller will have surgery on Monday, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (link via Caplan’s colleague, Mike Rodak). Bills head coach Doug Marrone says Spiller will be out “an undetermined [amount] of time.”

2:17pm: The Bills have had success in recent years by employing a two-headed approach at running back, utilizing the talents of both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. The duo may have played together for the final time in 2014, however, as both RBs were injured during the second quarter of today’s game against the Vikings. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the initial diagnosis for Spiller is a broken collarbone. Jackson will have an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity of his injury, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link) hears the ailment is “serious.”

It’s unclear how much time Spiller will miss, as clavicle injuries often result in varying degrees of absence. For example, Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone during Week 9 of the 2013 season, and was able to return for the season finale and playoffs. However, Tony Romo suffered the same injury in mid-October of 2010, and missed the remainder of the year. I would guess that Buffalo’s performance will play some role in a potential Spiller return — if the Bills are out of the playoff picture if and when Spiller gets healthy, there’s probably no reason to bring him back.

Spiller, 27, carries a $5.917MM cap charge in what is effectively the final season his rookie contract. The Clemson product has a 2015 player option that will pay him $2.197MM in base salary. While it had seemed readily obvious that he would void that year, it’s fair to wonder if this injury might force him to reconsider. Spiller had been the subject of trade rumors as of late, given that he was seemingly being phased out of the Bills’ offense; clearly, he won’t be dealt now. For the season, the 2010 first-rounder has 68 carries for 234 yards, along with one kick return touchdown.

The Bills are down to one healthy running back — fifth-year player Anthony Dixon — in addition to fullback Frank Summers. Bryce Brown, who was acquired from the Eagles during the offseason, was a healthy scratch for today’s game; he figures to be active next week. Buffalo could look to add an external option either through free agency or trade — the trade deadline is October 28.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Satele, Jackson

August 2nd, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Ben Levine

With all of the Patriots additions to their defensive back core, it’s certainly going to be tough for a player like Dax Swanson to make the final roster. However, the player has already faced plenty of adversity in his life, including switching colleges and going undrafted in 2013. Swanson uses all of these experiences as motivation (via Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal)…

“Yes, it motivates me a lot,” Swanson said. “Expecting to get drafted, still happy to have this opportunity and still got to where I needed to be, that was one of my goals. Me being me, I expect the best of myself. Not being drafted was very disappointing, but I had an injury and that’s kind of what happened. I just use that as motivation. It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finished. That’s my mentality.”

Swanson faced more adversity in July, when his father Henry died after suffering a stroke. The death adds fuel to the player’s fire, and he hopes that the memory of his father will guide him towards his ultimate goal.

“Yeah, it definitely does. It motivates me more,” Swanson said. “I just want him to know he’s in my heart and my thoughts all the time. He loved for me to have this opportunity and is excited for me to be in the NFL. I just want to make him proud, even though he’s no longer here. He’ll know I’m doing the best for him.”

While Swanson will have to compete with former Pro-Bowlers Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner for playing time, he’s certainly overcome tougher battles in his life.

“I’ve faced all sorts of adversity,” Swanson said. “Being on different teams, injuries — it just made me more mentally tough and hungrier to come out here and perform well and do my job, on the field and off the field.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC East…

The Dolphins had discussed a contract with recently-signed offensive lineman Samson Satele ten days ago but the veteran wanted to see if the team would offer more money, tweets the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. The team ultimately upped their offer to the veteran.
The Dolphins will work out kicker Brandon Bogotay on Sunday, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The former Georgia Bulldog was signed by the Browns last year but was released before the season.
Former seventh-round pick Rishard Matthews is “without a doubt” having a good training camp, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin told Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel.
It was reported that Bills running back Fred Jackson could earn $1MM in incentives as a part of his new contract, and ESPN.com’s Field Yates details how the veteran could earn that money.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Bills, Jackson, Vick

August 1st, 2014 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg wants to see quarterback Geno Smith simplify things, writes George Willis of the New York Post. “He’s to the point where on occasion, he’s double looking off [defenders] and these kinds of fancy things and we just got a little too fancy [Wednesday],” Mornhinweg said today. “It’s just that simple. We were just trying to do too much and too fancy.” Here’s more from the AFC East..

There is no guaranteed money in Fred Jackson‘s one-year extension with the Bills, tweets Mike Rodak of The Buffalo News. Jackson and the Bills agreed to a deal that is worth $2.6MM, with up to $1MM in additional incentives for the 2015 season. Despite turning 33 this past winter, Jackson had one of his best seasons in 2013, compiling 1,277 total yards from scrimmage and setting a career high with 10 total touchdowns.
The Jets are trying out former Maryland linebacker Darin Drakeford today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Drakeford has been in camp with the Colts and Chiefs since going undrafted in 2013.
Michael Vick is 34 and currently penciled in as Smith’s backup, but he says he’s far from finished in the NFL, telling Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that he wants to play until he’s 40. The Jets veteran has played down any talk of a quarterback competition this offseason and says that he’s ready to mentor Smith, but he also says that he’ll be ready when and if he’s called upon.

AFC Notes: Alex Smith, Gordon, Raiders

July 30th, 2014 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Alex Smith and the Chiefs have both expressed optimism about reaching a long-term contract agreement before the 2014 season gets underway, but the quarterback indicated today there will come a time when a resolution must be reached one way or the other, so that it’s not a distraction during the season (link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).

“You’re finally gonna cross a line where it’s like, it’s just football from here on out and I’m done not only talking about it with you guys, but even behind the scenes as well,” Smith said. “We talk about eliminating distractions and that’s a part of it. The focus needs to be on ball.”

Smith didn’t give an indication of when this deadline would arrive, but it’s probably safe to assume that he doesn’t want talks dragging past opening day, which would give the two sides a few more weeks to work something out. Here’s more from across the AFC:

After reports surfaced suggesting Josh Gordon‘s reps would argue that his failed drug test was a result of second-hand smoke, the NFL has countered by pointing out that the agreement in place between the league and NFLPA dictates that players are responsible for what is in their bodies. ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon has the details.
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Gordon’s potential suspension will be an all-or-nothing scenario, since the appeal hearing officer can’t arbitrarily land on a penalty between zero games and a full season. A compromise could still be negotiated, but once the process reaches the point where the hearing officer makes a decision, that ruling will stick.
The owners of nearby franchises weighed in on the Raiders‘ possible interest in San Antonio, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones not making much of the story (link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram), while Texans owner Bob McNair suggested that Texans fans would make up half the crowd at a San Antonio game (link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
Perhaps responding to Mark Davis‘ visit to San Antonio, Oakland mayor Jean Quan took to Twitter last night to announce that the city is “seeing progress” on a new stadium for the Raiders as well as MLB’s Athletics.
After signing an extension through 2015 today, Bills running back Fred Jackson suggested he’d like to play for three or four more seasons, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap is a fan of the Colts’ offseason signing of Hakeem Nicks, identifying the wideout’s contract as the best one on the team’s books. Linebacker Erik Walden gets the dubious honor of least team-friendly deal for Indianapolis, according to Fitzgerald.