Bills GM reportedly ‘went rogue’ in cutting popular veteran Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson has the third-most rushing yards in Bills history. 

The Buffalo Bills stunned many NFL observers when they cut Fred Jackson on Monday. Over eight seasons with the team, the running back had become a favorite among Buffalo fans, who appreciated his rise from undrafted free agent out of Division III Coe College to dependable veteran.
On Tuesday, Bills reporter Tim Graham tweeted that general manager Doug Whaley had “gone rogue” in his decision to let Jackson go. Graham claimed that the team’s owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, usually “have final say” over personnel decisions and that “they like being in the loop.”

Bucky Gleason, a columnist for the Buffalo News, spoke to Jackson on Monday. The running back said this about Whaley: “There’s only one person in that organization that I haven’t gotten honesty from, and that was him.”

Jackson turned 34 this year, ancient for a running back, and he averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry last season. Still, he was so beloved among Bills fans that thousands of them signed an online petition demanding that the team bring him back.

For his part, Whaley didn’t get into the reasons for why he released Jackson, but he told reporters Monday that the Pegulas were informed ahead of time.

“We thought for us and at this time, we had to make this decision,” Whaley said (via ESPN). “There are a lot of circumstances that go into that, but we will keep that in-house for competitive reasons.
“We also let everybody know that everybody was on board. Reluctantly because of the magnitude of this player and what he means, not only to the Buffalo Bills, but to the community of Buffalo — him and his family. So we talked to [owners] Terry [Pegula] and Kim [Pegula] and conversed with them and decided that this was the best time to make that decision.”

With 5,646 career rushing yards, Jackson is third all-time among Bills, behind Thurman Thomas (11,938) and O.J. Simpson (10,183). Jackson is reportedly in discussions to possibly join former Bills teammate Marshawn Lynch in Seattle.

This former editor and part-time writer at The Post is now happy to prove that if you combine 'blowhard' and 'blaggard,' you get 'blogger.' He previously had used 'Desmond Bieler' as his byline, but feels that shortening the first name to 'Des' nicely conveys his ever-decreasing gravitas. He also covers Fantasy Football.