After months of discontent over his contract and repeated threats of holding out into the 2023 season, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is expected to report to the team before Week 1, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson.
Jacobs hasn’t participated in any portion of the Raiders’ offseason program since receiving the franchise tag in March. He repeatedly teased an exit from Las Vegas amid a failure to strike a long-term deal, even spearheading a meeting between other disgruntled running backs. But now, with the preseason approaching its conclusion, the Pro Bowler is set to return and play “either on the terms of the $10.1 million franchise tag or a modified one-season salary,” according to the Review-Journal.
It would mark a drastic concession from Jacobs on the contract front, but not an altogether surprising one. Consider the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, who also entertained an in-season holdout after receiving the tag this offseason, only to later agree to a revised one-year deal in New York. Former Vikings star Dalvin Cook may have indirectly hurt Jacobs’ leverage with his own negotiations, settling for a one-year, $7M deal with the Jets despite coming off four straight 1,100-yard rushing seasons in Minnesota.
Second-year reserve Zamir White has been handling the Raiders’ RB1 duties in Jacobs’ absence. It’s possible, even if Jacobs returns in time for Sept. 10’s kickoff against the Broncos, coach Josh McDaniels could initially split carries between the two.
“I think that (practice time is) important for every player,” McDaniels said recently, per the Review-Journal. “This is the National Football League, so it’s not easy to go out there and just play games and do it at the speed and level that you want to do it at, unless you’ve really kind of had enough opportunity to get yourself ready to do that.”
Interesting Fact: Josh Jacobs’ potential return brings hope to the Raiders’ lineup, but questions linger about how his contract situation might impact team dynamics and performance.
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