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Josh Jacobs opens up about Raiders departure
When star running back Josh Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers at the start of free agency, many were surprised that the Las Vegas Raiders let the All-Pro walk without much of a fight.
The team made the 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler what it believed was a fair contract proposal, according to The Athletic, but it’s not known exactly how much money they offered. Now Jacobs will suit up for a new team just two years after leading the NFL in rushing.
During a recent appearance on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Jacobs disclosed that the team handled his exit in a peculiar way, stating he had zero interaction with general manager Tom Telesco and there was no discussion about finding a way to keep him around.
“I never talked to the GM or none of that,” Jacobs said. “It just was what it was. At the end of the day, I told them, ‘Look, I've got every Raider record since I've been here, basically.’ And I'm like, ‘If y'all don't have enough respect in me to sit me down and have a conversation, then we don't have anything to talk about.’ It's that simple, really.”
Josh Jacobs said on the Chris Long Podcast that #Raiders HC Antonio Pierce really wanted him back, but it was out of his control. The RB added Tom Telesco never showed any interest in re-signing him and he did not hear from Telesco in the offseason.
— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) June 6, 2024
Limited to 13 games last season due to a bruised quad suffered in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings, Jacobs had a down year from his previous one. He totaled just 805 yards rushing and six touchdowns along with 37 receptions for 296 yards.
In 2022, Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher after logging 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 games. It was his third 1,000-yard season in his first four years. Now, Jacobs will step into the No. 1 running back role with the Packers after the team cut 2023 starter Aaron Jones, who promptly signed with the Minnesota Vikings after his release.
The Packers backfield also features A.J. Dillon, who rushed for 2,186 yards and 14 touchdowns over the last three seasons, Emmanuel Wilson and 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd, who totaled 820 yards rushing and nine touchdowns last season at USC.
More must-reads:
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Browns reporter says rookie is 'not an NFL QB'
As of the first Monday of August, there was no indication that 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel or 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders had any real chance to emerge as the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 starting quarterback. During a Monday morning appearance on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter offered quite a worrisome update regarding how Gabriel has looked during training camp practices. "He's not good," Ruiter said about Gabriel. "He's not an NFL quarterback. Not right now, and the fact that they keep running him out there for first-team reps ... they're cramming this guy down our throats, and it's not good." Numerous NFL analysts viewed Gabriel as a third-day selection before the Browns made him the 94th overall pick of this year's draft. The perception, up until Sanders was held out of Saturday's practice due to arm soreness, was that he has been the team's fourth-choice option at the position behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. All signs are reportedly pointing to Flacco getting the start for Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Gabriel is listed at 5-foot-11, but some who cover the team have expressed doubts about that measurement. It seems that a lack of desirable size for playing the position in the pros isn't all that's gone against Gabriel this summer. "It's not a height thing," Ruiter continued. "It's not personal. He's rolling out and can't hit guys who are wide open. He's not all that great, at times, in the warmup periods. ... He's just not a good quarterback." Ruiter said that he feels Gabriel "has no business being in contention to start a football game" for the Browns this season. "It's god awful when he's on the field," Ruiter added. Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed in late July that he could stash all four active quarterbacks on the roster for at least Week 1. For an article published on Sunday night, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand wrote that there's "zero chance" either Gabriel or Sanders will be cut this summer. Perhaps Gabriel will look better when he sees some action in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. That said, it sounds like fans should keep their expectations low for Gabriel's unofficial debut this coming Friday.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
NBA Insider: Russell Westbrook, Jonathan Kuminga Could Join New Team Together
The potential landing spots for both nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga are perhaps the most pressing questions remaining this offseason. According to the latest report from two Sacramento Kings insiders, the pair could wind up joining forces in Sacramento this upcoming season. On Tuesday's edition of "The Dave Carmichael Show" on Sactown 1140am, Carmichael and co-host Jason Ross went as far as suggesting that Westbrook and Kuminga will likely have to be a package deal if Sacramento were to pursue either player. Kuminga and Westbrook to the Kings? Dave: "We do know this for the Westbrook thing to happen, the Kuminga thing would almost definitely have to happen. Ross: "I mean, so let's say Kuminga doesn't, then is that an off the table thing for us? Because, I mean you're already crowded in the backcourt, you wouldn't have lost a guard and now you'd be adding another one." Dave: "I think it is. I do. I think it is. Unless they found another deal. Is it, this is a deal we know about." Previous reports this weekend indicated that the Kings viewed a possible haul of Westbrook and Kuminga as a dream offseason. Golden State may have thrown a wrench in Sacramento's plans for Kuminga, however, as the team has reportedly shut down all sign-and-trade talks surrounding the 22-year-old forward and will instead look to keep him on the roster for next season. ESPN's Marc Stein reported last week that Kuminga preferred a move to Sacramento opposed to a return to Golden State after the Kings promised him a spot in the starting lineup. Kuminga saw a diminished role down the stretch of last season, largely due to a highly publicized mismatch between himself and coach Steve Kerr. "He wants to go," Stein said. "And the Kings are offering a starting spot. Power forward, next to Keegan Murray, next to Sabonis. He's talked on a Zoom call with Scott Perry, as you know, the GM, BJ Armstrong, the assistant GM, and also with their head coach. So he's in. He wants to go there. While Kuminga clearly desires an exit from Golden State, Stein also indicated that the Warriors aren't exactly jumping at the compensation offered by either Sacramento or Phoenix, the other frontrunner in the Kuminga sweepstakes. "But I think that first (round pick), the Warriors don't like the first. And then the Suns, I heard they're like offering Royce O'Neal in four seconds and Nick Richards. That's just not pretty enough."
Aaron Judge Assigns Blame As Yankees Continue to Sprial
Aaron Judge didn’t ease into his return. After missing over two weeks with a strain in his right elbow, the Yankees’ captain was activated Tuesday and inserted as the designated hitter. But his presence wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding or the finger-pointing. As the Yankees dropped their fifth straight game, falling 2-0 to the Rangers, the calls for a change in leadership were growing louder. Yankees fans were howling for Aaron Boone’s job and wanted Brian Cashman to be sent packing with him. But, Judge made it clear who bears the blame. “About us in this room, we’ve got to step up, look ourselves in the mirror and do our job,” he said. That was the message from a captain who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first game back. Judge didn’t shift the focus to his own timing at the plate or the limitations of his injury. He kept the spotlight squarely on the team’s performance and their accountability. New York has now lost 19 of its last 27 games and watched a once-secure playoff position slip into a Wild Card race that’s tightening by the day. The loss dropped them behind Boston and just a half-game ahead of Texas for the final AL Wild Card spot. Mistakes continue to mount. On Tuesday, it was another bullpen collapse, another critical misplay in the field, and another night where the offense failed to deliver in key spots. For Judge, the diagnosis was simple. Do your job. With the standings getting tighter, Judge’s words carry weight. The Yankees have time to turn this around, but not if they keep looking elsewhere for answers or excuses. The answers, as Judge reminded everyone Tuesday night, have to come from within.
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