Josh Jacobs is really unhappy about his contract situation, but would he be willing to take it to the next level to finally make the Raiders respect him?
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero mentioned during a recent media appearance that the Raiders could see themselves in a holdout situation with star RB Josh Jacobs if the two sides can’t work out a new deal.
“One [situation] that nobody’s talking about is Josh Jacobs,” Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. “At this point, if there’s not a long-term deal I don’t anticipate Jacobs being there at the start of training camp and I don’t know that he shows up Week 1.”
The Las Vegas Raiders placed the $10.1 million franchise tag on Jacobs in March, but the two sides have yet to agree on a long-term deal.
It should be noted ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday on SportsCenter that the Raiders are “pretty hopeful” that Jacobs will report to training camp this summer even if he doesn’t land the deal he so badly covets.
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“I have not sensed a lot of momentum for a deal coming down the pipe right now. Jacobs recently tweeted ‘bad business,’ which is not a good sign that things are going all that well. Certainly, a $10.1 million tag would be available to him. I’m told the Raiders are pretty hopeful that he would show up to camp even if they don’t get a long-term deal done but they have to negotiate in earnest leading up to that deadline.”
The deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term extension is July 17th. Despite having a bit of time to get things squared away, Jacobs seemingly hinted that negotiations weren’t going well when he tweeted “bad business” last week while also retweeting an article by The Athletic’s Jim Trotter that discussed running backs being underpaid despite being some of the most productive players in the league.
The Raiders selected Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Alabama, and he has rewarded them by rushing for at least 1,000 yards in three of his four NFL seasons.
The 25-year-old had his best season in 2022 when he racked up 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 games, in addition to catching 53 passes for 400 yards.
