The Las Vegas Raiders finally have their star running back with the team as All-Pro Josh Jacobs has returned to practice. The two sides were able to agree on a restructured one-year deal to finally put to an end the saga that had been hanging over the Raiders all offseason.
Jacobs wanted a long-term deal, but the Raiders were seemingly on a different page about how much Jacobs was worth. There seemed to be some real tension between the two sides, but Jacobs says that’s all in the past now.
Following his first practice, Jacobs said there are no hard feelings and it’s a clean slate between him and the Raiders according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
“I mean, s—, we here,” he said after practice on a conference call with reporters on site at the team facility. “We made it happen, so it ain’t no hard feelings now. It’s a clean slate with me. It was never … no hate on each side. I understood it, but at the same time I understood my value, too. So it was just about meeting in the middle.”
While away from the team Jacobs stayed in shape while working out at his old high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma and said that he didn’t feel like he missed a step in his first practice back with the Raiders.
And while Jacobs was doing what he felt was right regarding his contract situation and getting paid what he is worth, he still admitted that he missed the camaraderie of being in the facilities and working with his teammates:
“You want to grind with your guys, especially knowing there’s a lot of new guys coming in,” he said. “You want the guys to know who you are and respect what you do, respect your work. That was just the biggest thing, not being able to have that camaraderie.
“But I wouldn’t say they was just all negative, you know? Being at home allowed me to spend a lot more time with my kids and help my dad do his diet plans and get in shape and things like that. So, I mean, it was pros and cons on both sides, but at the end of the day, I wanted to play football. I wanted to be here with the guys. So, I’m just glad it worked out.”
The important thing is that Jacobs and the Raiders were able to find that common ground and get the star running back with the team before the regular season began. Now with this time to ramp up and get ready, the Raiders will be firing on all cylinders when they start their season against the Denver Broncos.
