Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting a potential Josh Jacobs contract

Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting a potential Josh Jacobs contract

Tag or Bag?

One route the Raiders could go would be to franchise tag Jacobs. Franchise tagging involves a one-year contract that pays the player either the average of the top-5 contracts at their respective position or 120% of their previous contract, whichever is more. According to Over the Cap, the projected franchise tag for a running back is $10.1 million for 2023.

As previously mentioned, the Raiders passed up on the 5th-year option that would’ve paid him $8 million for the 2023 season. With the ability to slap Jacobs with the franchise tag, you could say that the Raiders were taking a $2 million gamble by declining the option.

Ideally, signing him to a long-term contract is what many in Raider Nation would prefer, but the tag would give the Raiders time to negotiate the right contract without feeling the pressure of free agency and other teams trying to outbid them.

We’ve seen instances where players have held out and not signed their franchise tag because they wanted the big payday. Most notably at the running back position was Le’Veon Bell back in 2018 when he sat out the entire season after the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him. Most recently, new Raiders WR Davante Adams refused to play on the franchise tag in Green Bay before being traded to Las Vegas.

There is always a chance Jacobs holds out in order to get an immediate payday. For someone who has made just over $11 million in four years, I highly doubt he would do that, especially knowing that it was done in order to have more time to work out a deal that makes sense for both sides. Jacobs has expressed that he wants to stay with Las Vegas and the Raiders seem to reciprocate the sentiment.

I see a deal getting done one way or another, when exactly it comes will be the question mark. If it’s later rather than sooner, look for the franchise tag to come out quickly.