Most running backs are currently upset. Josh Jacobs is more upset than most of them.
Jacobs, unsigned and subject to the franchise tag, has strong feelings about his situation. His anger is fueled by the fact that the Raiders decided last year not to pick up his fifth-year option. Then, he proved them wrong. Then, they applied the franchise tag to keep him from the open market. After tagging him, they made half-hearted efforts (in his view) to sign him to a long-term deal.
Now that the deadline for signing him to a long-term deal has come and gone, the Raiders couldn’t give Jacobs a long-term deal if they wanted to.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, participants in last night’s Zoom call involving disgruntled running backs got the impression that Jacobs does not plan to show up for training camp or the preseason. Whether he actually refuses to collect game checks (at $561,111 each) remains to be seen.
Before he can make that decision, the Raiders could choose to rescind the franchise tag. Really, if Jacobs is going to be upset all year long, why pay him $10.1 million? Why not just let him go?
If/when the Raiders choose to remove the tag, here’s hoping they do so as soon as they make that decision. The longer they wait, the harder it will be for Jacobs to get paid.
Of course, they’ll be tempted to save face, if they strip the tag. They’ll be more likely to save face if they remove the tag so late that Jacobs can’t find a great situation that pays great money.
The best solution would be for the Raiders to try to find a way to make him happy. Offer not to tag him next year, for example. Give him incentives based on production. Give him reasons to show up, have a big year, and become a free agent in 2024.
Whether he’ll find what he wants then is a different issue. No matter what happens now, he might be unhappy with whatever happens later.
