Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Fred Jackson Signing On Hold Due To Kam Chancellor’s Holdout

The Seattle Seahawks are rumored to be courting Bills castoff Fred Jackson, but the holdout from strong safety Kam Chancellor is putting the expected signing on hold.

The Seahawks flew Jackson out from Buffalo the day after his surprising cut from the Bills, the team where he has spent the last 10 years. The Seahawks reportedly want to add Jackson to a backfield that includes his former teammate Marshawn Lynch, but in the two days since meeting with Jackson they have yet to ink a deal.

Kam Chancellor may be the reason. Bleacher Report insider Jason Cole said the team is in a “holding pattern” due to Chancellor’s holdout. Kam is reportedly looking to get out of the four-year, $28 million extension he signed in 2013, and he wants more money from the team.

“In dealing with Chancellor, expect that they’re going to add a year to his contract and give him some money up front,” Cole said. “That seems like the most logical solution at this point in time.”

But Cole said the Seattle Seahawks won’t be able to sign Fred Jackson right away.

“Until they deal with (Chancellor), signing Jackson may be difficult,” Cole said. “The team may ultimately say that they will wait until after Week 1, when his salary would not be guaranteed and would allow them to find out whether another team would be interested in him in the interim. If another team expresses interest, perhaps the Seahawks would move faster.”

Though Fred Jackson is the oldest running back in the league at 34, he has still flashed some excellent play and led a downtrodden Bills offense in rushing yards last season. Jackson has relatively young legs for his age, getting a late start in the NFL after bouncing around arena football and the European leagues. He has fewer lifetime carries than the Bills new running back, LeSean McCoy, for example.

Jackson has big ideas for how much longer he could last.

“One of my goals, and it’s not far out of reach, is to be the oldest running back to take a carry in the league,” Jackson told the Buffalo News. “I think it was Marcus Allen at 37.”

But Jackson has also been hampered by injuries, including a hamstring pull that caused him to miss much of training camp.

The Seattle Seahawks may have time to wait on Fred Jackson. So far, they appear to be the only team rumored to be interested in signing him, which, as Cole pointed out, could allow them to wait until the season starts or later to sign a deal.

[Image via Getty Images]