Raiders running back Josh Jacobs picked the right season to have a career year. He is scheduled for free agency in March after leading the league in rushing (1,653) and yards from scrimmage (2,053) and earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
Jacobs, 24, expects contract negotiations to begin with the Raiders next week, but he made it clear Saturday that he has no plans to give any kind of hometown discount.
“I feel like I’m in the driver’s seat, you know what I’m saying?” Jacobs said, via Tashan Reed of TheAthletic.com. “I control the ship. However it goes, that’s how it’s going to go, you know what I’m saying? So, I’m not too much worried about it, but it’s definitely got to make sense.”
The Raiders, though, could use the exclusive franchise tag on Jacobs at $10.09 million if they can’t come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Jacobs said that would not make him happy.
“Ooh, hero turned villain,” he said. “Hero turned villain, man.”
The Raiders also could use the franchise tag on Jacobs and then trade him. It’s the scenario that led to the Packers trading receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders last offseason.
But Adams hopes to stay in Las Vegas.
“This is where I want to be,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I’ve left my mark on this organization. With the guys in the locker room — obviously, it’s going to be shaken up next year, but I feel like this is home. For me, this is where I want to be, but I’m not going to discredit myself trying to be here, either. So, it’s just got to make sense.”