Before the start of the 2023 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders and Josh Jacobs were embroiled in a stalemate regarding the star running back’s contract situation.
Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher in 2022 and was in line for a lucrative extension, but the two sides could not come to terms on a deal.
Jacobs held out from team activities for most of the offseason and even missed part of training camp before agreeing to a one-year deal.
While Las Vegas was able to keep Jacobs for the season, his future is up in the air again as he will hit unrestricted free agency.
According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Jacobs is expected to test the free agency market.
“As it stands, he’s expected to test unrestricted free agency in March,” Reed reported.
Josh Jacobs is out against the Broncos on Sunday.
For the second consecutive year, he is headed into the offseason with his future in Las Vegas up in the air.@tashanreed on what’s next ⤵️https://t.co/cEqWV2Epk0 pic.twitter.com/ADw8i0qFZf
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) January 6, 2024
Last offseason, the Raiders tried to franchise tag Jacobs but he refused to sign which led to his eventual holdout.
This year, however, by virtue of signing a one-year deal, Jacobs will be able to seek the deal he’s looking for elsewhere.
Las Vegas probably should’ve looked harder at trading Jacobs in order to recoup some assets in the event he leaves, but now they run the risk of losing him for nothing.
The former first-round pick hasn’t been quite the same rusher as he was last year, but he was still an integral part of the offense.
Jacobs has missed multiple games now due to injury, so it’ll be interesting to see what his market looks like once free agency officially begins.
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