The saga of Josh Jacobs and the Las Vegas Raiders continues on without a resolution in sight. The Raiders placed the franchise tag on Jacobs, who has yet to sign the tender, and the deadline to agree to a new contract is just a couple of days away.
Throughout the offseason, Jacobs has expressed his frustration with the process. He wants a long-term deal with the Raiders, and by all accounts, the Raiders want him around as well. However, the two sides simply can’t agree on the terms of what that long-term contract would look like, which points to a deeper issue regarding the valuation of running backs in today’s NFL.
Nonetheless, training camp is also around the corner, and while Jacobs feels good physically, it looks as if he won’t be there when the pads come on. According to Paloma Villicana of FOX 5 News in Las Vegas, Jacobs will not attend training camp if a deal is not made by Monday’s deadline:
#Raiders RB Josh Jacobs tells me he’s “feeling great” this offseason with no injuries, he feels “explosive”.
I’m told by a source close to him that if a deal is not made between the Raiders and Josh Jacobs on Monday at 1PM. Jacobs will not be showing up for training camp. pic.twitter.com/BcnLY54iiu
— Paloma Villicana (@PalomaFOX5News) July 13, 2023
This isn’t much of a surprise and is something the Raiders are prepared for. The team reportedly is feeling no angst at Jacobs potentially sitting out camp, fully believing that he will be in fine shape when he does show up and will be ready to go.
There has been nothing to suggest that Jacobs’ holdout could stretch into the regular season as is reportedly a concern with Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants. If that were to happen, it would be a massive blow to the Raiders and their offense which Jacobs is a key piece of.
At just 25 years old Jacobs is in the prime of his career and is coming off his best season, leading the NFL in rushing yards and being named a First Team All-Pro. Unfortunately, teams across the league have been hesitant to give out long-term deals to backs after many failed to live up to those deals, be it due to injury or just performance falling off.
The state of running backs in the NFL has led to many former players speaking out on the subject, but it won’t be solved anytime soon. Regardless, it looks like the Raiders will go through camp without a centerpiece of their offense.
