Getty Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
Last season, running back Josh Jacobs played on the franchise tag for the Las Vegas Raiders after not being able to reach an agreement on a long-term deal. According to new general manager Tom Telesco, the team is not planning on using the franchise tag on the running back again this year.
“Yeah, I mean as a GM you never want to take anything off the table, but I don’t anticipate using that tag this year,” Telesco said during his February 27 press conference.
If the Raiders don’t use the franchise tag and work out a long-term deal before free agency, Jacobs is going to test the market for the first time in his career. While the Raiders are willing to risk letting the running back walk in free agency, Telesco is still committed to bringing him back.
“[Jacobs] is a high-level player, and I do want to establish a philosophy with the Raiders that we like to re-sign our own,” Telesco said.
“Doesn’t bother me that I didn’t draft him,” he added. “He’s a Raider and he was drafted by the Raiders and he’s a high-level player. So yeah, we’re going to explore pretty hard to see if we can bring him back here. As a player in the running game, pass game, pass protection, he can really help you win games.”
Since getting drafted by the Raiders in 2019, he’s made two Pro Bowls and rushed for over 1,000 yards in three seasons, including leading the NFL in rushing in 2022.
Telesco said Raiders will “explore” ways to bring Josh Jacobs back
Las Vegas Raiders to Utilize Multiple RBs
Josh Jacobs has been a workhorse in his career and had 340 carries in 2022, which was second-most in the NFL. However, the Raiders could have a change in philosophy under Tom Telesco and new head coach Antonio Pierce.
Jacobs missed four games last season, which led to Zamir White getting a heavier workload and he played well. In four starts, he rushed for 397 yards. He proved that he should be seeing the ball more and Telesco believes the Raiders won’t be relying heavily on one running back going forward.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s a very good player,” Telesco said of White. “He has size, he has speed, he has some nice vision, had some production late in the year. But the way we’re going to play and the way a lot of teams play, is you need more than one back. I don’t really see a lead-back type thing. You’ve got to have more than one, you need to have two, you need to have three.”
Now, Jacobs is good enough to where the team could change their plans if he’s re-signed.
Will Another Team Poach Josh Jacobs?
The market for running backs isn’t great these days and Josh Jacobs is coming off a down year where he averaged 3.5 yards a carry. That said, he’s only 26 and there should be no shortage of teams interested but how much will they be willing to pay?
If the Raiders don’t want to give big money to Jacobs, it’s unlikely another team is going to come along with a huge offer. If they do, Jacobs will almost certainly play elsewhere in 2024. Las Vegas has to hope that his market is cold and that they’ll be able to get him at a reasonable rate.