By Jordan Long
The Las Vegas Raiders veterans report to training camp on July 25th. One player who could be missing a lot of time is running back Josh Jacobs. He is not going to report to camp and who knows when he will be back with the team.
Jacobs has been with the Raiders since he was drafted with the 24th overall pick in 2019. He has proven he can run the football for the Raiders. In his 4 years in the NFL, only 1 time he failed to rush for over 1,000 yards, 2021. That season Jacobs totaled 872 yards.
On July 23, 2022, the Raiders decided not to give Jacobs a 5th-year option on his rookie contract, meaning last year was a contract year. Jacobs ran for a league high 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns. His average yards per rush was 4.9. All of this showed he deserved a long-term contract with the franchise.
Unfortunately, the Raiders didn’t do that. Instead, they slapped the franchise tag on him, paying Jacobs $10.09 million this year so they wouldn’t lose him during free agency. The Raiders also thought it would give them a chance to work out a longer deal with Jacobs. The deadline passed, and Jacobs will play on that if he decides to sign the tag which may not happen for another month.
Jacobs just wants a long term deal. He deserves it. The Raiders know what he means to the offense. He is holding out to show his displeasure with the franchise.
The best case is Jacobs comes back to the team at some point before the regular season begins on September 10th when they face the Denver Broncos. Otherwise, Jacobs could sit out for a while which could force the Raiders to trade him. The NFL trade deadline is on October 31 at 4 P.M Eastern Time. Dealing him at least the Raiders would get something back. In the end, this should all work out. Jacobs most likely will be playing for the Raiders in 2023. It would be a shock if Jacobs is in a different uniform.
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