On Tuesday, Kareem Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, giving him a chance to join an exclusive group of Alabama alumni who have reached a 15th NFL season.
The Bills made the announcement Tuesday morning, following Buffalo coach Sean McDermott’s update the previous day about safety Mike Edwards, who will be evaluated weekly due to a hamstring injury throughout the preseason.
Jackson, who entered the NFL in 2010 as a first-round draft pick from Alabama’s 2009 BCS national championship team, spent his initial nine seasons with the Houston Texans as a cornerback. He moved to safety with the Denver Broncos after signing as a free agent for the 2019 season.
Among Alabama players, only Bart Starr (16 seasons), Chris Mohr (15 seasons), and Ken Stabler (15 seasons) have played in at least 15 NFL seasons. Mohr, Howard Cross, and Cornelius Bennett have each played more regular-season games than Jackson’s 203, with Bennett starting more games than Jackson’s 193.
Jackson had a career-high 94 tackles in 2022. However, during the first 14 games of the 2023 season, he started eight games and faced a six-game suspension.
On October 23, Jackson was suspended for four games due to a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, which resulted in a penalty for unnecessary roughness and ejection. His suspension was later reduced to two games on appeal.
On November 20, Jackson was again suspended for four games for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs. Despite an appeal, the suspension was upheld.
Jackson had been fined four times for unnecessary roughness in the first six weeks of the 2023 season, with fines totaling $89,670.
In a game against Washington on September 17, Jackson was penalized and ejected for a hit on tight end Logan Thomas.
After returning from his second suspension, Jackson was never reactivated by Denver and was subsequently waived. The Texans claimed him, and he played in the last two regular-season games and a playoff game.
Jackson had been a free agent since March 13. The Bills will start their preseason on August 10 against the Chicago Bears and begin the regular season on September 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
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