Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) walks off the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 13-31, during an NFL football game at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.
Monday, July 17, 2023 | 1 p.m.
The Raiders start training camp in full eight days from now, and it’s looking increasingly likely that they’ll be doing so without last year’s NFL rushing leader.
The organization and star running back Josh Jacobs were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract ahead of a deadline this afternoon. A training-camp holdout now becomes likely, as Jacobs has not signed the franchise tag the team assigned to him and can therefore fail to report to practice without penalty.
The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick out of Alabama could potentially even sit out the season, though that would cost him a $10.1 million salary owed through the franchise tag. Jacobs was looking for a bigger payday, and more importantly, increased security coming off the best season of his career, where he picked up more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage with 12 touchdowns.
But much like fellow franchise-tagged running backs Tony Pollard in Dallas and Saquon Barkley with the New York Giants, Jacobs was left disappointed Monday when time to work out a deal for the upcoming season officially ran out. The two sides could still come to terms on a contract extension, but not one that would kick in before the 2024-2025 season.
Las Vegas could also still trade Jacobs, though that seems unlikely with the league-wide hesitance to give running backs big money. The whole situation dates back to last offseason when Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler chose against exercising Jacobs’ fifth-year rookie option for a little less than $8 million.
That looks like a mistake in hindsight, but Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels had no idea Jacobs would emerge the way he did a year ago. The power duo gave every indication that they planned on employing a running back by committee approach, signing a pair of veterans in free agency (Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden) and drafting a couple more rookies (Zamir White and Brittain Brown).
But all four of those players became depth pieces behind Jacobs, who was the heart of the team and one of the few bright spots in an underwhelming 6-11 season. White, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia in 2022, is the favorite to fill in as the starter for as long as Jacobs is away from the team.
Availability is a big question going into Raiders’ training camp. Both quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and top draft pick Tyree Wilson missed offseason team activities coming off foot injuries, but Jacobs’ status now vaults to the top of the list of things to watch.
Veterans are slated to report to the team’s Henderson headquarters on Tuesday July 25, and odds are that Jacobs won’t be among the contingent.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
