After failing to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, Las Vegas Raiders’ star running back Josh Jacobs is now one of the top players to watch on the NFL trade market.
July 17 was the deadline for players assigned the franchise tag to sign a multi-year deal with their clubs. Along with Jacobs, fellow star running backs Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) and Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) also didn’t receive long-term extensions.
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton listed five teams that should be interested in the 2022 rushing champion. Among those teams: The powerhouse Buffalo Bills, who haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher themselves since LeSean McCoy in 2017:
“Buffalo can make a bigger splash to shore up its running back room by signing Jacobs, which would allow James Cook to handle most of the receiving responsibilities out of the backfield.
Cook, 23, hasn’t recorded more than 113 rush attempts in a single season as a collegian or a pro; he’s suited for a hybrid role with fewer carries and a fair number of targets in the short passing game. Meanwhile, Jacobs can take on most of the touches on the ground as he has done for each of his four seasons with the Raiders.
With Jacobs, Cook, Damien Harris and perhaps a bit of Latavius Murray, the Bills can lighten the physical demand on quarterback Josh Allen, who’s recorded 546 carries for 3,087 yards and 38 touchdowns in five seasons.”
On Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Jacobs left Las Vegas and apparently informed others that he has no plans to rejoin the team “anytime soon.”
A team in win-now mode like the Bills could certainly use an explosive playmaker and runner like Jacobs, who led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards last year.
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Devin Singletary led Buffalo in rushing last season with 819 yards, but he signed with the Houston Texans in free agency. Star quarterback Josh Allen finished second in team rushing with 762 yards, though Buffalo would presumably like to cut back on his rush attempts in 2023 in order to keep Allen fresh over the long run.
For his career, the 25-year-old Jacobs has 4,740 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns.
