Fred Jackson to Seahawks: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Fred Jackson was bound to find a new team before the regular season got underway, and he did just that on Sept 4. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the veteran running back signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the report. 

The Seahawks confirmed the deal on Sept. 7.

The Buffalo Bills surprised many when they cut Jackson on Aug. 31. According to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, Bills general manager Doug Whaley wanted to open up cap space and viewed Jackson as expendable.

Before retirement could become part of the discussion for the 34-year-old, Jackson tweeted out that he was ready for the next challenge:

It didn't take long for rumors to heat up about Jackson's next move. Rapoport reported early Tuesday morning that the Seahawks were meeting with him and expected to sign him. 

The dynamism Jackson displayed from 2009 through 2011 is gone. But he averaged 3.7 yards per carry and caught 66 passes for 501 yards in 2014. Those numbers aren't bad for a then-33-year-old running back in today's NFL.

You're not going to find many backup running backs better than Jackson in the league this year.

And he couldn't have found a more perfect home than Seattle, both for personal and professional reasons.  

Jackson should see plenty of touches in the Seahawks' run-heavy offense. Few teams have been as consistent on the ground in recent years. Here's a look at where Seattle finished in rushing yards as a team and in Football Outsiders' run-blocking and rushing offense metrics over the last four years since Marshawn Lynch played his first full season with the team:

Season	Rushing YPG	Adj. Line Yards	Rush Offense DVOA
2011	109.8 (21st)	4.01 (19th)	-1.6% (14th)
2012	161.2 (3rd)	4.42 (4th)	16.5% (1st)
2013	136.8 (4th)	4.05 (9th)	6.4% (7th)
2014	172.6 (1st)	4.23 (4th)	29.0% (1st)

With Jackson on the squad, Seattle won't have to rely so heavily on Lynch in 2015, thus keeping him fresher throughout the course of the year.

Speaking of Lynch, the relationship between him and Jackson likely played a big role in Jackson ending up with the reigning NFC champions, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:

Jackson will also be valuable in the passing game. Over his eight-year career, he has caught 322 passes for 2,640 yards and seven touchdowns. As Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar noted, Jackson will be a good last line of defense for Russell Wilson:

It's not as if the Seahawks needed to improve their offense before the regular season. They're the two-time defending conference champions, and many expect them to make it three in a row.

Instead, the rich got richer, and Seattle took what was already working —the running game—and shored it up even more. Jackson should prove to be a tremendous role player in the Pacific Northwest.