Thoughts On A Potential Fred Jackson Contract Extension

And forces the Bills hand in getting an extension done, to force a trade or release him. That is my only concern about not getting an extension done now. It can have an impact on the team and hurt the season.

While I Dont think the Bills should give Jackson Copspeed money but he is entitled to mid-tier running back money for the next three seasons. I think even with a reduced workload his experience, his leadership on the field and in the locker room is essential for rebuilding a winning team

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleMa00.htm

Between ages 33-36 Marcus Allen averaged about 800 yards and 8 TD’s a season. Since Fred Jackson came into the league late, I see no reason why Jackson can’t play as long as Allen and actually put up better numbers than him.

The guarenteed is what matters. Give him a decent signing bonus a reward for past play. He is going to want some guarenteed so make next year guarenteed only. could also make the contract performance based. Keeps everyone happy easy to get out of but also lets him stay in buffalo in a back up role if he wants to stay.

I say no for same reasons you stated. Give him two years at 5m each. If he wants more, say goodbye. I rather giveva fat contract to mario williams

I don’t think Fred needs to be paid like a starter at this point. Because going into this season, I think Spiller needs to be the starter, with Fred being the change-of-pace, third down back. He blocks better, he plays the screen game fantastically, he runs draws well… but he’s 31. He’s not the future of this team, he’s the now, and frankly, the now is not winning the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think. Is that pessimistic? I don’t think so, I think its realistic… unless they make HUGE waves in FA and the draft and it looks like a playoff-bound team. THEN and only THEN do we sign him a short-term contract that is a little bigger.

How many players need to be extended for their young players to see that it’s a trend?

Well, it wouldn’t be much of a trend unless they continue doing it.

How many players need to be extended for their young players to see that it’s a trend?

All of the good ones worth keeping

Fred Jackson stands for truth, justice, and the American way. I’ve been for him every day since he first landed on our planet with his #22 cape and felt the strength of our yellow sun. If we fail to resign him, our planet is doomed.

I wonder if the Freddy/CJ combo will work. Obviously Gailey is being paid good money to make it work. Still, we didn’t see CJ’s good stuff until Freddy went down. Can either of these guys be a 50%-of-the-time back? I don’t pretend to know a lot about this game, but I’d hate to see either one of these guys diminished because they’re not touching the ball enough. Anyway, maybe it’s worry for nothing and they’ll be just fine. I’d say extend him for an additional year.

This just leads me back to the thought that the Bills should play both backs equally next year, maybe on the field at the same time. It would extend Freddy’s career making him effective for longer. With that being said, I say extend his contract, but pay him like a back that is splitting time. He shouldn’t get top RB money based on his age and expected decline in performance. Don’t pay a player based on what they have done in the past. That is rediculous. Pay them on how well you think they will play during the new contract.

I’m in the keep him camp. The man has been one of my favorite Bills since I saw him do a front flip touchdown in preseason back when our starters were Travis Henry and the A-train ( trying to remember what year it was so long ago now). He has earned the right to get extended for three years and given a good signing bonus based on his past performance alone. The guy has not been beat up nearly as much as other running backs his age and should have at least threee good years left in the tank and worst case scenario he goes down and he helps coach up CJ, I want him to be a Bill for life and he has earned it.

Load up the first year of the deal, then have it reduce over the next couple with performance incentives to boost the deal. He’s aging. It rewards him for what he has done, and then lessens the risk of lower production due to his age as he continues to get older. Allows him to transition to a backup role naturally. Fred seems like the kind of guy who will know when it’s time to step aside and let CJ take over, which isn’t just yet.

Poor Fred.

I don’t disagree with your points, but many successful teams show you that you need more than one back to be successful. The Ginats were a prime example with Bradshaw and Jacobs. The Saints use multiple backs effectively, as have other teams in the past including the Dolphins (Brown and Williams) the Jets (Jones, Tomlinson, Greene), etc. Teams need 2 effective backs, and the Bills have that.

I smell another 4th round draft pick headed buffalos way….followed by reports that a different team would have given at least a 3rd.

supporting rumors about a Fred Jackson trade? In the news? On the Internet? From the mouth of the janitor that empties Buddy’s garbage can?

As far as I know all this trade Fred Jackson talk pure invention from a discontented Bills fan base.

I understand that many of you would run OBD differently if you were given the reigns. You’re entitled to your opinions, and if you’d trade Fred Jackson, then you’d trade Fred Jackson. I’ll never understand how the arguments against Fred outweigh the arguments for Fred, and none of you will ever convince me.

But rest assured, prior to the 2012 NFL season, Fred Jackson will have signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills. All you trade Fred Jackson advocates are going to be sorely disappointed, and I’m going to be thrilled. Because, like it or not, there is simply no way the Buffalo Bills are going to trade Fred Jackson. It’s not happening. Don’t hold your breath.

Base his pay on production. Like if he hits 1000 yards he gets a $1Million bonus, 1,250 a $1.5million bonus ect. Same with receptions and TD’s. It would make sure we get 110% out of him and if we didn’t, we’d be covered. The guy deserves some money, he is our best player. I know he is getting older, but he has way less mileage on his body than others his age, he hasn’t had as much NFL level body damage as most. Pay the man!

Give Fred his due for the first 2years and make the 3rd guaranteed only if available to play, if injured then (not).

Fred is a young 31 and he’s such a hard worker and positive influence in the locker room that giving him a respectful 3 year extension guaranteed only if he’s able to play in his 3rd year would be probably acceptable on his part. Because of his age, I doubt he is expecting to be paid in the same stratosphere as Johnson, besides his contract was absurd and stupid, he wasn’t worth that kind of money anyways.

Make Fred a very fair offer for 3years which protects the club in the 3rd year and if he doesn’t want it, then trade him and move on. Nix gave him his word and he should honor it. Only if Fred is unreasonable should we consider trading him.

So the answer is yes, resign him. It is not going to cost anywhere near 55 million dollars, or anywhere near CJ’s guaranteed $.

Also this: Nix has stated that the team will renegotiate his deal. So between this and signing Mario Williams, can we stop discussing things that clearly are not going to happen?

ELF (Everyone loves Fred) me included. If he didn’t get hurt last year, an extension would already have been done – but that’s not how life works. I like a 2 yr guarantee at 5 mil a year, plus some production bonuses and a third year guarantee at 3-4 mil if he’s still healthy and reports to training camp. I do agree that Fred probably sets back CJ’s development, but Fred is STILL the best overall back on our team and we need two effective RBs. If we let him walk and CJ gets hurt and we’re left with Choice, then I don’t like that “choice”

2 more years at 4 million a year, that doubles his salary for outplaying his last contract and doesn’t leave us on the hook for too much cash.

I’s there one person here who wouldn’t be happy if their salary was doubled?

I didn’t think so, I’d be thrilled to get a raise that doubled my pay.

Give him a 3 or 4 year extension with the first 2 years top loaded. The second 2 years would be say 1 mil per year, no biggie either way. That way, if he is still good, he gets paid, if he slows down, u can trade him and his reasonable salary to another team looking for the missing piece to their roster that won’t hurt them salary cap wise. Win win. He gets his big pay day from us and he is cap friendly the last 2 years.

There is no trade value for fast Freddie …hes great…but no NFL team would do it trust me!

I ain’t skerrred.

You can’t use the same “well, he’s just gonna suck soon since he’s over 30 now”

It’s just plain ignorant.

No offense, but this is the last pool of candidates I would dip into if I was looking for someone to manage my business.

Too much heart and not enough head.

As Human Beings, though, you guys are all right.

:)

I have a feeling that Stevie Johnson wont want to be back unless Fred is signed to a multi year deal. My gut also tells me Freddy wont report to mini camp if something new isnt done… “As the World Turns, These are the Days of Our Lives”. NFL Football = Soap Opera for Men. hahahahaha!

the end

Another question: Is Fred Jackson the running back on the Super Bowl winning Buffalo Bills? If he’s not, he’s probably not worth re-signing.

He walks off the field with a broken leg. Puts some ice on it. and just chills on the sideline.

Does that make any sense?

The Freddy chants during the games said it all. Even sitting at home that was an amazing thing to see/hear. Had to be awesome in the stadium. As much as I like seeing C.J. do his thing Freddy needs to be on this team.

Clearly a lot of Bills fans are big Fred Jackson fans and would hate to see him walk or get traded. That being said the NFL is a business and from a business standpoint it doesn’t make sense to extend him past his current contract.

The Yankees went through this very same problem a year ago with Derek jeter and I see both situations eerily similar. Does past production mean a player should get a big time contract extension in the future? Both are huge fan favorites that people feel very strongly about. The difference is the Yankees have a lot deeper pockets, a much larger market, and don’t have to worry about a salary cap.

I also question some people on how much sense does it make. When we left Geoff hangartner go fans justified it by saying well you can’t be paying a backup (hang) more than your starter (wood). So why can’t that same logic be applied here? There’s no way fred Jackson will be the teams #1 rb beyond the next season (unless something monumental was to happen) otherwise the spiller pick will have been a complete waste. Why take a rb in round 1 pick 9 to backup a guy who’s over 30 and just received an extension. If you watch gaileys offense there is no way he changes it to give both backs equal carries and besides that how many teams run the ball 30-50 times a game? The NFL is a passing league and gailey is a pass first coach it just doesn’t add up.

People are still upset over Chris kelsays contract and the lack of production to justify it. How many years will go by before people complain about Fred making $5-7 million a year and seeing his numbers continue to go down?

The question is asking you to think with your head and not with your heart.

So should the bills extend Fred Jackson? No. Will they? Most likely given Nix’s latest comments.

can’t be paying a backup (hang) more than your starter (wood)

According to Gailey, Hangartner was released because he was too small to hold up at his position, not because of salary.

Fred jackson has definitely earned an extension. Nix is already on record saying, “We will take care of you.” The likelihood of him getting traded or released is slim. I think he’ll get a generous 3-4 year deal, but his carries will diminish after 2012.

fred´s worth to give him an extension for at least 2 years with about 5-7mill. my point is not the past, to honor his last years productivity, because the nfl is a business and you cannot invest your money in the past.

my point is: he´s an elite rb with great abilities in running as well as in catching balls and he has at least 3 years of high-level productivness in his body as he played several years only arena league resp. nfl europe.

moreover he´s a bill. OBD gave him the chance to succeed in the nfl so there´s a lot of thankfulness, too, which leads him to a player who trains and plays wholeheartedly with devotedness for the bills. and that´s what fans love to see.
and last but not least – i think you need to have at least a pair of high-level rb to compete over a whole season if you take into account the possibility of getting injuries as well as implementing a diversified gameplan in your offense.
giving FJ the bulk of carries in 2012 and switching the bulk slightly over to CJ in the course of the 2013 or 2014 season should make us a team with a reliable and continuous running game for the next couple of years, having that fixed we can focus on other holes in our roster… and as we know – currently there are some… ;-)

Matt, I think it is also important to remember that Fred Jackson doesn’t really have to wear and tear of a RB who has been a feature back since college. He played D3, Europe ball, and sat for a bit before becoming the feature back in the NFL. I would venture to say that with the diminished games, lesser competition, and splitting time with other backs that Freddy may have the wear and tear of a 26 or 27 year old back.

All those guys you list were #1 backs since they entered the league, Freddy hasn’t been a #1 since last year

It’s absurd for the fan base of this mostly talentless team to be speculating about and supporting the idea of tossing out one of Buffalo’s only legitimate players. I never disrespect the long suffering Bills’ fan base out of principle (this pathetic franchise has done enough of that on it’s own), but I feel a little ribbing is warranted here becuase this angle is exclusively being explored within the fan base and nowhere else that I’ve seen.

I see this fan base as a victim of OBD’s abuse; they often come across illogical in defending inept OBD and I chalk it up as a psychological defense mechanism. We’ve seen Buffalo trade useful veteran players for twenty cents on the dollar so many times and seen them let useful vets walk away in free agency so many times that fans support these frugal decisions before they occur so that they can themselves that everything is under control when OBD kicks them in the gut again.

Wilson and OBD have run this franchise into the ground over the past 12 years. If they are serious about changing their culture of spinning their wheels, they’ll lock up Jackson before next season. If they don’t, Buffalo is announcing to the league that they truly are a major league farm team for actual contenders. Many within our abused fan base will support this announcement with the ferocity usually reserved for defending a family member under siege. It’s irrational, but the fault lies with an abusive franchise, not the long-suffering fans.

But he was league MVP for 1/2 the season b4 injury.

He was team MVP & in my opinion won at least 3 games last year. That generally only happens w/franchise qbs.

Most important player on the roster as he elevated every player around him.

Id give him a deal that has heavy insentives that if he achieves the level of play he did last year that blows the ‘6 million /yr"’ away- 8 didgets/yr for Fred as long as he can generate that output.

He plays like a superstar that the Bills have not had in many moons- Pay him like it if he continues!!

Jackson had a great year cut short by injury, but that does not predict his future. Running backs trend down hill after the age of 30 and regardless of his history, he has taken a beating. How many running backs have been consistently productive in their 30’s?
The Bills office has thrown good money at bad enough already. Is Ryan Lindell truly worth what he was just paid? The guy can’t even kick the ball into the end zone. Is Fitzpatrick worthy of a contract that rivals those of other starting QB’s? He is a backup at best in the NFL. Chris Kelsay? worth the contract he was given? I believe the Bills should look long and hard at their priorities and worry about Stevie Johnson and bringing in someone who can be a true starter opposite of him. Besides the fact that every one knows that the Bills need pass rushers. Giving Freddy Jackson an un needed contract extension will pretty much put to rest the possibility of bringing in an elite pass rusher or anyone else who will help push this team over the top and finally into the playoffs. Freddy is good, but the Bills can be good without him.

I may be wrong here, but I think if stevie wanted 7.5 mill/year he would already be signed….
And I think the Bills want to give something to Fred to keep one of the best players and main leaders happy but I think Fred wants Chris Johnsonish kind of cash.
A thirty-one yr. old RB with two yrs. left (now one) on his contract shouldn’t expect that.
If I were GM, I would take Chris Johmson’s yearly total add Fred’s amount for 2012 and divide by two. For Fred to get this money, he would have to add a year on the contract…..

If he didn’t like that he would just play out the contract….. I would not trade him, he is too good and you need lots of good players to compete. End of story there, unless someone offered a lot for him….a number one or a two and four, something like that. A lot.

With everything you said…..but that is still a lot of money tied up.

I might give him the contract you specified, depending on how much is guaranteed, etc.

He clearly is one of best players and you definitely need depth.

But what if he wants more? And, I think he does…..

I was just thinking that 7mill. is about what I suggested above. Chis Johnson contract and Fred current contract added together and divided by two…
It is probably a little lower.
The problem is that, I think, Fred wants more….

Extend Fred Jackson. Who cares about CJ Spiller, Jackson’s the man. You can basically subtract 3 from Fred’s age because of how he came into the league and how he split carries with the backs he’s played with. Curtis Martin led the league in rushing when he was well over 30. Jackson just came off his most productive season ever. It would be high treason not to extend our BEST player.

And all this about hindering CJ Spiller, hindering CJ Spiller. The only person hindering CJ is CJ. When Fred gets touches, he explodes onto the field. CJ should take a lesson from that and maybe he’d force his way onto the field as well.

You are saying to give Fred a Chris Johnson type contract?

I wouldn’t mind a very small 2-3 year extension, but if we don’t extend him it won’t be the worst disaster in the world.