Raiders & Josh Jacobs Still Apart On Contract Talks As Camp Holdout Looms

Vincent Bonsignore writes the sense is that the gap between the Raiders and RB Josh Jacobs in contract talks will be too wide to bridge between now and tomorrow’s franchise tag deadline. 

Paloma Villicana, citing a source close to Jacobs, reported earlier this weekend that Jacobs does not plan to report to training camp without a long-term deal. 

Jacobs has not been with the team all offseason and at this point it looks like his absence will continue for another couple of months. Other reports earlier this offseason have even broached the possibility of Jacobs continuing his holdout into the regular season, though at that point it would start to cost him financially. 

Las Vegas placed the $10.1 million tag on Jacobs earlier this offseason. The two sides have until July 17 to negotiate a long-term extension, otherwise Jacobs has to play out the 2023 season on the tag.  

Jacobs did not attend voluntary OTAs this offseason and did not report to minicamp. However, because he has not yet signed the franchise tag, he’s not technically under contract and not liable for fines for missing minicamp, or training camp should he elect to hold out. 

The point at which Jacobs would start losing money is if he missed games in the regular season, losing 1/17th of the $10.1 million tender for each game he sits out. 

Former Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire 2018 season after being tagged for a second straight year at a sum of $14.5 million, none of which he saw. The decision is widely believed to have been a poor one, as Bell didn’t recoup the money on his next contract and was out of the league just a few years later. 

Jacobs, 25, was selected with the No. 24 overall pick by the Raiders out of Alabama in 2019. He later agreed to a four-year, $11,933,394 rookie contract that included a $6,698,832 signing bonus. 

Las Vegas declined Jacobs’ fifth-year options ahead of the 2022 season, which set him up to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. The team then used the franchise tag on Jacobs worth $10.09 million fully guaranteed for the 2023 season this offseason.

In 2022, Jacobs appeared in all 17 games for the Raiders and rushed for 1,653 yards on 340 carries (4.9 YPC) to go along with 53 receptions for 400 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.

We will have more news on Jacobs as it becomes available.