Raiders news: Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs's situations are not the same

A year ago today, a potential holdout by Las Vegas Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs would not have caused the organization to bat an eye. General manager Dave Ziegler had seemingly made the decision that the team would be moving on from Jacobs in the near future, declining his fifth-year option, and playing him in the meaningless Hall of Fame Game.

However, fast forward 12 months and Jacobs has not only become a priority for Ziegler and the front office, but the biggest question mark heading into training camp. Jacobs brushed off all the offseason noise last year to lead the NFL in rushing yards, putting together one of the best seasons by a Raiders running back in team history.

Now, the Raiders offense would be lost without him, and as we inch closer to training camp, it is clear the two sides are far apart on getting a new deal done. Ziegler placed the franchise tag on Jacobs this offseason, one he has yet to sign, and entering the second half of June, it looks like a holdout is a real possibility.

On the other side of the country, New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is going through the same thing, but the two situations are not alike.

Raiders star RB's situation not like any other

While both players are young with incredible talent, the situations in New York and Las Vegas are not the same. Since being selected No. 2 overall by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley has missed 21 games due to injury, and has only two seasons where he actually did not miss any time.

Jacobs, on the other hand, has been the definition of durable, carrying the load since his rookie season, racking up three 1,000-yard seasons in four tries. He is also a year younger than Barkley, and was not used as much in college as Barkley was, so the assumption would be that he has a lot more football left in him.

Barkley was recently offered $13 million a season by the Giants, a deal he turned down. For a player with his injury history, that would seem like a fair deal, but Barkley is taking a stand, and rightfully so, as he is one of the best young players at his position in the game.

When it comes to Jacobs, the Raiders should extend him a contract for the long-term, as he is only entering his age-25 season, and should have at least four more uber-productive seasons left in his legs. Jacobs is the key to the Raiders doing anything on offense this season, especially as the team turns to Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, so the priority has to be getting a deal done as soon as possible.

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