The Las Vegas Raiders have just over a week to get a long-term deal done with Josh Jacobs before he is forced to play under the franchise tag this season. But as of right now, it doesn’t appear that any movement has occurred between the Raiders and the camp of Josh Jacobs.
So that begs the question; what will the Raiders do with Jacobs in 2024 if he doesn’t sign a long-term contract next week? In a recent article by Dan Graziano of ESPN, he took a look at the running back market to see who might or might not get paid this offseason.
When it came to Jacobs and the Raiders, Graziano wondered if the Raiders will decline to give Jacobs a long-term extension and instead, allow him to become a free agent during the 2024 season:
I haven’t heard as much on the Jacobs situation, which could indicate that he’s less likely to get his deal. Obviously, a lot can change, and if one of these guys signs before the deadline, he’ll establish a framework the other one can use.
Barkley getting a deal could make it more likely that Jacobs gets one, too. But McDaniels has engaged in a lot of roster turnover since he got to Vegas, indicating that he didn’t love what was in place before he got there. I would not be at all surprised to see the Raiders go with Option 3 on Jacobs and do nothing.
One option that Graziano didn’t discuss was the possibility of a second franchise tag in 2024. But that includes another big pay raise for Jacobs and the Raiders might not feel comfortable giving him that much money.
So if the Raiders aren’t able to come to an agreement over the next week, the possibility of Jacobs leaving in 2024 for nothing does seem likely. That means the Raiders would be missing their All-Pro running back and Jacobs would have to try to find a big deal in free agency, which just hasn’t happened much for running backs on the open market over the last few years.
Needless to say, it seems to benefit both parties to get a long-term deal done sometime next week before the franchise tag deadline.
