The offseason saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and Josh Jacobs finally reached a conclusion this past week when the two sides couldn’t agree on a long-term extension.
For months, Jacobs has been away from the team as his camp tried to work with the Raiders on securing a new deal. Jacobs put up a career year in 2022 and seemed like a lock to get a raise after propping up the offense.
Now, the running back has a few options going forward which include either signing his franchise tender or foregoing the entirety of the 2023 season. It’s a tenuous position for Las Vegas, who will be relying on lesser talents to fill the void left by Jacobs should he continue holding out.
Leading up to the July 17 deadline, it appears that the two sides didn’t make much progress until the weekend prior via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
While the Giants and Barkley reportedly made some progress in their negotiations, the talks between the Raiders and Jacobs were dead in the water until last weekend, according to league sources.
As far as the numbers go, it seems that Jacobs would’ve been amenable to a new contract similar to the one that Evan Engram signed:
On Sunday, Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram — who had also received the franchise tag — agreed to a three-year deal worth $41.3 million with $24 million guaranteed. That’s more than what Engram would have gotten for just signing the franchise tag this year and next. Apply that to Jacobs, and the logical starting point is $22.3 million — this year’s tag plus next year’s $12.2 million number.
The Raiders and Jacobs never even got to that number, sources said, so judge for yourself how close they got to reaching a deal.
It’s interesting to hear the recent report considering that there were others that suggested the team made an honest effort on his extension. It seems both sides are trying to shape the narrative in their favor, though at the end of the day, the result is the same.
Now, all eyes will be on Jacobs who has the tough decision of either playing for less or foregoing millions of dollars.
Josh Jacobs receives 95 rating in Madden 24
Although Jacobs is holding out, he’s still widely regarded in the football world. With the release of the upcoming Madden 24 NFL, fans have been treated to player ratings and Jacobs received a 95 overall which made him the third-highest running back on the list.
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