Fred Jackson will always be loved by Bills’ fans and it has been no secret that Jackson will always love the city of Buffalo. For that reason, Jackson will be investing in a new steakhouse that will be located downtown.
We all remember former Buffalo Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson, right?
I mean, please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about him this soon..
Fred Jackson is one of the greatest Buffalo Bills’ running backs to ever wear the royal blue, red and white. When we were yelling our fight song, “Shout,” he was yelling with us. Personally, my favorite running back that I ever got to watch run the ball — and that was an easy decision to make.
Jackson had an amazing 10-year run with the Buffalo Bills that ended abruptly before the 2015 season even came to a start. He was released by the Bills on August 31st of last season, just as the team was cutting their preseason roster down to 75 players.
It came as a surprise to Jackson, the media and Bills’ fans around the country.
He never got to play in the regular season with this “new era” Bills’ team, but we all know of all the great things Rex Ryan would have to say about this workhorse.
Personally, I thought it would’ve been interesting to see Fred work behind LeSean McCoy last season. However, everything happens for a reason.
When the Bills released him, GM Doug Whaley sent out this statement:
"“Today, we had to make the difficult decision to release Fred Jackson. He had an incredible career for this organization for the past 10 years. We thank Fred for his hard work, dedication and leadership during his tenure with the Buffalo Bills. Fred has inspired the city of Buffalo in a number of ways. Fred and his family have been dedicated to this community and we can’t thank them enough for their contributions through his career.”"
After news broke of McCoy’s legal troubles, rookie running back Jonathan Williams’ legal troubles and Karlos Williams’ suspension — who was released by the team a couple of weeks ago — Bills’ fans quickly started to worry about the team’s backfield. Some even started to ask for Jackson back, who was a free agent.
Ultimately, the team wouldn’t re-sign him and would go a different route when they signed free agent Reggie Bush — who would end up wearing Fred Jackson’s number this season. Although we all had to come to the realization that he would never suit up for the Buffalo Bills again, at least we can say we are Jackson’s favorite city to play in.
Back in June, before any of our running back troubles began, Jackson announced that — although his playing days are likely over — he will still remain close to the city of Buffalo. That was proven when he announced an investment opportunity that he was a part of, bringing a new steakhouse to downtown Buffalo with the help of a few other familiar faces.
The steakhouse, which will be named SEAR, will join together the likes of Fred Jackson, former Bills’ cornerback Terrence McGee, former Bills’ punter Brian Moorman and BlueCross president Dave Anderson — among others. Pegula Sports and Entertainment will reportedly be designing the steakhouse, while also marketing it.
SEAR, which will be located at 200 Delaware Avenue, hopes to bring more energy to the steakhouse industry, saying that they don’t want it to have that normal steakhouse feel to it. Commenting on the investment, Jackson stated:
"“Buffalo’s not just a place I plan on forgetting about. It means more to me than just a place I played football. It’s a place my family will always consider home.”"
In his 10-year stint with the Bills, Jackson played in 106 games and ran for 5,646 yards on 1,279 carries. With a 4.4 yards per carry average and 30 rushing touchdowns, he proved efficient every time he stepped foot on the field. He was also lethal in the passing game, totaling 322 receptions for 2,640 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He is easily the third best Bills’ running back of all time, behind both O.J. Simpson and Thurman Thomas.
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Fred Jackson’s career with the Bills might be over, but his love for Buffalo will be sticking around for a long time. I just wish he was a part of this Super Bowl run we are about to make this year.
SEAR is set to open in early fall, according to the original report in June. That means SEAR is almost here.
Who’s joining me at the grand opening of SEAR this year? Leave your comments below!