Fred Jackson played 10 NFL seasons, the last coming in 2015 when he had 357 all-purpose yards in 16 games for the Seahawks. Prior to that, he spent nine years with the Bills, and in 2011 he ranked seventh in total value among all running backs, according to Football Outsiders, when had 934 rushing yards (5.5 YPC) to go along with 442 receiving yards (11.3 YPR).

We mention this because Jackson, now 36 and out of the league in 2016, is eyeing a return.

“Playing-wise, I would love to play again,” Jackson told Siouxlandnews.com, where his professional football career began in 2005 for the Sioux City Bandits. “You know, I’m going to try and see if I could get on a roster again. I’m going to try and see if I can get on a roster this year, training camps and things like that. If I can get into one I’m going to try to spend the next two, three months trying to get on a roster. And you know, if it doesn’t happen I’m going to hang my hat on the ten years that I did play. I was in contact with a few teams last year about coming in, and things just never worked out. We’ll see. We’ll shake those branches and see if something happens. If it doesn’t, like I said, I had ten years that I played and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

This certainly meshes with what Jackson has stated previously. “I want to continue to play as long as possible,” Jackson said back in July 2014. “If I can get three or four more years I’ll be happy, but we’ll see what happens.”

A year later, he told the Buffalo News: “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. I think it was Marcus Allen at 37.”

And if Jackson’s comeback attempt falls short, he had this to say about his retirement plans:

“It’s automatic,” said Jackson. “It has to be as a Buffalo Bill. You know, I owe those guys everything. The fan base has by far stuck behind me the most. And still talk to me now. That’s not to take anything from anybody. But the Bills Mafia is who has made me who I am today. I love playing for those guys. As long as I can go sign that one day contract and retire as a Buffalo Bill. If they’re going to have me, I’d definitely love to do that.”