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.