Getty Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
There hasn’t been much movement on a potential long-term contract for Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. It’s only a matter of days before the July 17 deadline for the two sides to come to an agreement on a long-term.
Having a disgruntled running back holdout of training camp would be a major distraction for the Raiders. If there’s no interest to keep him long-term, there could be trade options on the market. In a July 11 column about bold training camp predictions, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report predicted that Jacobs will be traded to the New York Jets.
“If the Jets miss out on Cook, they can pivot to Jacobs,” Moton wrote. “Vegas could make its All-Pro running back available for a Day 2 pick, and Gang Green may be willing to meet that demand with the cap space ($22.7 million) to give him a short-term pay raise in a sign-and-trade scenario.
“Keep in mind that Jets running back Breece Hall’s status remains unclear as he recovers from a torn ACL. Also, New York is in win-now mode with 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the roster.”
Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and was named First-Team All-Pro last season. While 2022 second-round pick Breece Hall still has potential, Jacobs is a proven commodity who could benefit a Jets offense that was 26th in rushing last season.
Josh Jacobs Could Be Gearing up for Long Holdout
It remains to be seen what will happen with Josh Jacobs. Playing on a one-year deal isn’t ideal for any star player. However, he’s a leader for the Raiders and a fan favorite. Losing him would be a big blow to the offense and the fan base.
Though Jacobs could potentially miss out on $10.1 million in potential earnings next season if he holds out, it’s an option he’s considering, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“The one that nobody’s talking about is Josh Jacobs, the reigning NFL rushing champion. At this point if there’s not a long-term deal, I don’t anticipate Josh Jacobs being there at the start of training camp and I don’t know that he shows up Week 1,” Pelissero said during a June 27 appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show.”
Would @dalvincook fit with the #TakeFlight – he seems to think so but does it make sense? The @nflnetwork insider explained:
Las Vegas Raiders ‘Hopeful’ Josh Jacobs Doesn’t Holdout
Based on Tom Pelissero’s report, it appears that Josh Jacobs is strongly considering taking a stand against the Raiders. However, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team doesn’t believe that it will actually happen.
“I have not sensed a lot of momentum for a deal coming down the pipe right now,” Fowler said on a June 27 episode of “SportsCenter,” via Bleacher Report. “Jacobs recently tweeted ‘bad business,’ which is not a good sign that things are going all that well. Certainly, a $10.1 million tag would be available to him. I’m told the Raiders are pretty hopeful that he would show up to camp even if they don’t get a long-term deal done but they have to negotiate in earnest leading up to that deadline.”
Anything can happen if the two sides don’t have a deal by July 17. Jacobs hasn’t said much in recent months outside of some cryptic tweets. The situation is coming to a head soon so it will be known where things soon within the coming weeks.