It was a long way down for the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, who went from a season in which he led the NFL in rushing yardage at 1,658 in 2022, to 805 yards in 2023, which ranked 25th in the league. That could be costly considering that Jacobs is a free agent this offseason after having held out during last year’s training camp only to get a modest bump up from the franchise tag the Raiders had put on him heading into training camp.
It did not help that Jacobs missed the last four games of the season with a pesky quad injury, and that in his place, second-year man Zamir White outplayed him, totaling 397 yards in those four games, and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. It’s not good to head into free agency with your $1 million backup having outdone you in a fairly significant sample size.
But as free agency approaches, there’s still a chance that the Raiders—who still very much like Jacobs—could pull a surprise and slap the franchise tag on him once again. That’s the view of Pro Football Focus, which this week put out a list of the top candidates to be franchised this offseason, with Jacobs the pick for the Raiders.
Raiders’ Josh Jacobs Will Want a Long-Term Deal
OverTheCap.com projects the franchise tag number for running backs to be $12.4 million, and Spotrac has it slightly less, at $11.3 million. Spotrac projects Jacobs as having a less-than-tag market value of $10.6 million per year, and projects him signing a four-year, $40.2 million deal this offseason. PFF has him with a slightly higher per-year value, earning a three-year, $34.5 million contract.
Here’s how PFF outlines the potential franchise-tag situation with Jacobs, who made $11.4 million last year after his holdout, a slight increase from the $10.1 million he’d have made otherwise:
“The Raiders tagged Jacobs in 2022 after he led the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. Jacobs wasn’t able to have the same type of season in 2023 with his numbers down across the board. The coaching staff loves Jacobs, but it would be a surprise if they franchised him again. However, don’t rule out the possibility of the Raiders signing Jacobs to a long-term deal once free agency begins.”
How Does Tom Telesco Feel About the RB Situation?
Signing Jacobs to a long-term deal rather than a franchise-tag deal gives the team an increased commitment, but takes away the Raiders’ comfort at having to commit only one year Jacobs, to see if he can bounce back into his 2022 form. If he can’t, then the team can simply let him walk after next season.
Another factor in all this is how new general manager Tom Telesco will view Jacobs and his worthiness of a long-term deal. Coach Antonio Pierce several times last year sang the praises of Jacobs and spoke of his desire to get Jacobs the ball. But Telesco has no such loyalty to Jacobs.
The Raiders have several other needs to address this offseason, especially on the offensive line, in the defensive backfield and, of course, at quarterback. Running back might not be a high priority, especially not with the production that White laid down late last season.
The franchise tag is possible if the Raiders don’t want to lock themselves in on Jacobs going forward.
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Raiders Could Make ‘Surprise’ $12.4 Million Move on Josh Jacobs: PFF