Davante Adams speaks on direness of Josh Jacobs’ holdout

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Davante Adams speaks out about direness of Josh Jacobs’ holdout

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 7/24/23

The value that star running back Josh Jacobs adds to the Las Vegas Raiders is evident to seemingly everyone except the team’s front office.

During a recent appearance on “NFL Total Access,” Raiders All-Pro receiver Davante Adams stated that if the Raiders are to be anywhere close to contenders in 2023, they’re going to need Jacobs to do so.

“I’m praying everything works out because if we really want to have a shot at winning the Super Bowl and having all the elite aspirations that we do, we're going to need that guy,” Adams said. “So, I'm praying that we can still figure something out.”

Davante Adams says he spoke to Josh Jacobs 3-4 days ago and shared with us what he told him. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/2rreEUptQD
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 21, 2023

It was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Jacobs was seen boarding a plane leaving Las Vegas on Monday. Pelissero also reported that the star running back told those close to him that he will not report to training camp on Tuesday and he didn’t plan on returning to the team anytime in the near future.

Jacobs will not be fined for missing training camp since he was given a $10.09M franchise tag but didn’t sign it. He’s only eligible to sign a one-year deal for 2023 since he did not agree to terms on a multi-year contract prior to the franchise tag deadline.

With no long-term deals for Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard, the last time a RB signed a long-term contract worth $10 million or more per year was Nick Chubb in 2021 — 716 days ago.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2023

Per Spotrac, Jacobs’ market value is $12.8M per season, which would make him the third highest-paid running back in the NFL in terms of average annual value behind Christian McCaffrey ($16.01M) and Alvin Kamara ($15M).

While the 25-year-old tailback certainly has a case to command such a high salary, he’s, unfortunately, one of many victims of an apathetic running back market.

"I've been talking to him, we've been in his ear a little bit just trying to coach him through this process,” Adams continued. “I've been through it a couple times myself and I know what it's like to go back and forth about whether or not you feel appreciated — and that’s a big part of that position and it’s been that way for a while. … It’s a really valuable position in the league that gets devalued by the way that the market goes.”

Jacobs rushed for a career-high 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns on 340 carries last season, leading the NFL in rushing, touches (393) and total yards from scrimmage (2,053). He was named a first-team All-Pro and made his second Pro Bowl.

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