The deadline to sign a player under the franchise tag to a new contract is just days away, and it seems more and more likely that the Las Vegas Raiders and Josh Jacobs will not be able to get on the same page and agree to a new deal.
Coming off a career year in which he led the NFL in rushing yards and was named a First Team All-Pro, Jacobs hoped to secure a long-term deal. But the Raiders placed the franchise tag on Jacobs, and the running back has seemed to be frustrated with how things have progressed since.
But according to Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. of Sports Illustrated, both the Raiders and Jacobs want him to remain with the franchise, but have different viewpoints on the ideal length of a new deal:
The issue remains, and we have said this for weeks, what does a long-term deal look like?
In today’s NFL, running backs don’t want to be told this, but there isn’t a market for long-term guaranteed players.
As one NFL GM told me for this article, “The sad reality for a lot of running backs, most of running backs, is that your most extended deal is probably your first deal if you are a first-round selection.”
Running backs securing long-term deals has been an issue for some years now and is why former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall called for all of the top backs to boycott in order to help facilitate better deals for backs as a whole. Coincidentally, Jacobs agreed with this idea.
Now with training camp around the corner, there is a real possibility that Jacobs could sit out. But the Raiders aren’t worried about this and have full belief that when he does come in, he’ll be ready to go:
We have told you for weeks that Josh Jacobs may sit out training camp. There is no angst inside the Raiders about that because he is a consummate professional, and when he does show up, he will be ready.
There is no doubt that Jacobs loves football and wants to play, he simply wants to be properly compensated for putting his body on the line. Some have wondered if there is an issue between Jacobs and the Raiders’ brass, but Carpenter insists there isn’t and that no one should worry about Jacobs suiting up this year:
Dave Ziegler, Josh McDaniels, and Josh Jacobs have no personality issues. They generally like and respect each other, and none are clamoring for a divorce. Despite no deal, this is not an area that Raider Nation needs to be fearful of.
If the Raiders plan on making a run to the postseason, this offense will need its All-Pro running back in top form for another year and hopefully that is the case.
