Fred Jackson has been a staple of the Buffalo Bills since 2007.

That's what made the running back's surprising release from the team that much more harder to stomach.

Although Jackson appreciated everything the franchise offered him, he did take shots at Bills general manager Doug Whaley on the way out Tuesday.
"There's only one person in that organization that I haven't gotten honesty from, and that was [Whaley]," Jackson told the Buffalo News.
Whaley didn't give reporters much insight upon announcing Jackson's release Monday.
"We thought for us and at this time, we had to make this decision," Whaley said. "There are a lot of circumstances that go into that, but we will keep that in-house for competitive reasons. We also let everybody know that everybody was on board. Reluctantly because of the magnitude of this player and what he means, not only to the Buffalo Bills, but to the community of Buffalo—him and his family. So we talked to [owners] Terry [Pegula] and Kim [Pegula] and conversed with them and decided that this was the best time to make that decision."

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Jackson was the franchise's third-leading rusher after Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson.
The 34-year-old veteran entered training camp as the NFL's oldest running back, but said he was in good enough shape to play several more seasons, making the news of his release that much more difficult to accept.
"It was a tough pill to swallow, especially because I felt like I can still contribute," Jackson told the News. "They gave me a shot. I'll always be happy about that, but...they closed the door on me playing there, too."

That being said, it might not take long for Jackson to resurface with a new team, as he had a physical exam with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday and is expected to sign with them. That happening would spell Jackson as the backup to Marshawn Lynch.

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(Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)