Las Vegas Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs has been one of the hot names mentioned in the NFL trade rumor mill since the start of the season.
Despite leading the league in rushing last year with 1,653 yards, Jacobs and the Raiders were unable to agree on a long-term contract extension. The 2019 first-round pick is eligible to enter free agency next spring.
With the 3-4 Raiders looking nothing like a playoff team, GM Dave Ziegler would be wise to trade his star running back rather than watch Jacobs leave for nothing in free agency. And there certainly won’t be a shortage of teams interested in Jacobs if the Raiders are indeed shopping him.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills especially make sense as a landing spot for Jacobs. RB1 James Cook is enjoying a career year 486 rushing yards and one touchdown through eight games, but the Bills shouldn’t be afraid to add another playmaker to an offense that relies too much on Allen and Stefon Diggs.
Jacobs himself is enduring a tough season with just 347 rushing yards and two touchdowns through the Raiders’ first seven games. He’s unlikely to cost much in a trade, so Buffalo GM Brandon Beane has no excuse to not make a play for Jacobs.
Buffalo should offer Las Vegas a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick that becomes a third-rounder if they reach the Super Bowl and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
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In this scenario, the Raiders should be happy to get some value for a player they’re obviously not keen on keeping long-term. Buffalo, meanwhile, would now have three prolific runners in Cook, Jacobs and Allen.
A player of Jacobs’ caliber just might be what Allen and the Bills need to finally get over the hump in the crowded AFC.
