Running back Josh Jacobs has expressed a desire to stay with Las Vegas on a deal that makes sense for him.
The Raiders have also said they’d like to keep Jacobs around for 2023. And they have the tool to do so with the franchise tag if the two parties can’t come to a long-term agreement before March 7 to keep him off the open market.
At the Combine this week, head coach Josh McDaniels confirmed that General Manager Dave Ziegler and Jacobs’ representatives have been discussing a new deal for the running back.
“You know, what we said at the end of the year is the same as it is now. Love for JJ to continue being a Raider,” McDaniels said in his press conference. “I know Dave and his representative have been in contact, they’re working through that process together and that’s the hope and the end, the goal is that, that he’s here for a while.
“We’ll see how that all plays out but, again, Dave, and Josh’s representatives have been in contact. And, that’s the goal, that’s what we’re working towards.”
If the Raiders do franchise tag Jacobs, they would have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. Otherwise, Jacobs would have to play on the franchise tender, which is a one-year contract for $10.091 million.
“I’ve been a part of deals that I thought were going to take two months, and they got done in two days,” G.M. Dave Ziegler said via Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Joural. “I’ve experienced deals I thought were going to get done quickly, and they don’t.
“The commonality is that we want Josh to be a Raider and Josh wants to be a Raider. … So, that’s a really good place to start.”
After the Raiders declined Jacobs’ fifth-year option last spring, the running back put together the best season of his career in 2022. He finished with a league-high 1,653 yards rushing with 12 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 53 passes for 400 yards. He was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time.