Fred Jackson of the Buffalo Bills Should Be Traded

The Buffalo Bills have made a lot of noise so far this offseason.

They started by signing Mario Williams to a $100 million contract, which was the largest contract in team history. Weeks later, they signed former New England Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson as well.

Throughout the Bills offseason, they have mentioned numerous times they want to extend Fred Jackson's contract.

I believe that would be a mistake. The Bills should trade him, not extend him. Here's why.

Fred Jackson turned 31 years old back in February. While he has logged only four full years in the NFL, it is proven that running backs decline greatly heading into their thirties. This wouldn't be a topic if the Bills didn't have a reliable running back to take over.

Enter C.J. Spiller.

Spiller was drafted ninth overall by the Bills in 2010 and never received a chance to show his abilities as a starter in the NFL. That is, until Jackson missed the final six games of last season with an injury.

During the games Spiller started, he rushed the ball 86 times for a total of 446 yards, a yards-per-carry average of 5.2. Throughout his 10 games in 2011, Jackson averaged a career-high 5.5 yards per carry on 170 rushes. Very similar numbers.

Another aspect where Spiller excelled was scoring touchdowns. While Spiller was starting, he managed to score three rushing touchdowns in six games. Jackson, on the other hand, rushed for six touchdowns in his ten games.

Catching the ball out of the backfield is another area of comparison. Jackson had a career-high 442 yards receiving last season while Spiller only managed 269 total receiving yards for the season. Throughout the last six games when Spiller started, he managed to compile 187 of those 269 receiving yards.

Spiller averaged 31 yards receiving in each game he started. If that number was averaged throughout a full 16-game season, Spiller would have finished with 496 yards. 

At first, Spiller wasn't very successful out of the backfield, but he did manage to reach or exceed one hundred total yards in four of the six games he started. Becoming a threat out of the backfield would add another dimension to the Bills offense.

It is important to keep in mind that Spiller started once the team began their downward slide, losing seven games in a row, mostly due to major injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Imagine how his numbers would grow if he was the lead back in an offense that was healthy.

If the stats aren't persuasive enough to trade Jackson, a look at his potential contract figures should be.

Recently, top running backs have received contract extensions. DeAngelo Williams received a five-year, $43 million deal while Chris Johnson received a four-year, $53 million deal. Both received $30 million guaranteed.

While I don't believe Jackson will receive that amount of money, I believe the average per year could be relatively close. I wouldn't want to pay a 31-year-old running back $5-7 million per year and be on the hook for $15-20 million guaranteed, especially after he had a serious injury that cost him his season.

Spiller is 24 years old and can easily pick up where Jackson left off last season. When both players started, their numbers were very similar.

It's important to trade Jackson and acquire something for him before he leaves or retires and the Bills are left with nothing.

I can see a team willing to move at least a third-round pick for Jackson, which is more than enough value. Maybe the Bills could even find a way to land a second-round pick. Either way, the trade should be made.

I understand most Bills fans will not agree with this stance, but the Bills should be smart before they sign another player to an extension that will not be worth the deal.