Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler.
The regular season is less than a month away but Josh Jacobs still hasn’t returned to the Las Vegas Raiders. While there is some belief that he’ll be back by Week 1, it’s still unclear what his plans are.
In the meantime, the Raiders aren’t planning to move on from him, according to NFL Network. Tom Pelissero reported in an August 23 post on Twitter/X that Las Vegas has “shown no interest in trading” Jacobs.
It hasn’t been a good offseason for running backs. After Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard and Jacobs weren’t able to secure long-term deals due to the franchise tag, it was clear that top running backs weren’t going to get paid this offseason.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is the latest running back to have contract issues despite not being on the franchise tag currently. Things have soured so much for him that he has requested a trade, which the Colts have granted him permission to talk to teams. There has been no indication that Jacobs has requested a trade or wants to be moved. It doesn’t sound like the Raiders would grant his request if he were to want a trade.
Pelissero noted that Jacobs’ plans for Week 1 of the 2023 season have yet to be made clear so there still remains a chance that his holdout will go into the regular season.
What Will Las Vegas Raiders Do if Josh Jacobs Sits out Games?
Josh Jacobs was a major part of the Raiders’ offense last season. He played in all 17 games and was on the field for 75% of all of the team’s offensive snaps last season, per Pro Football Reference. His 340 rushing attempts were the second most in the NFL and his 1,653 rushing yards were the best in the league. Not having him for any stretch of the season could be a major blow.
2022 fourth-round pick Zamir White is the projected starter if Jacobs holds out. He rushed the ball 17 times for 70 yards last season. The Raiders like him but he’s still largely an unknown and replacing the NFL’s leading rusher is a tall task for a second-year player with limited experience. If Jacobs holds out, it’s more likely that the Raiders take a running-back-by-committee approach. While White will get most of the carries, Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden could get a lot more work than they did last season.
Josh Jacobs Needs to Return Soon to Be Ready for Season
With the regular season getting closer and closer, the window for Josh Jacobs to get ready gets smaller and smaller. Though he’s a veteran and has likely been keeping in shape, it’s still important for him to get reps with his team.
Head coach Josh McDaniels believes that it is necessary for Jacobs to practice if he’s going to be able to play at a high level.
“I think that it’s important for every player,” McDaniels said during his August 20 media availability. “This is the National Football League, so it’s not easy to go out there and just play games and do it at the speed and level that you want to do it at, unless you’ve really kind of had enough opportunity to get yourself ready to do that.”