Raiders rumors: No tag expected for Josh Jacobs, setting up interesting offseason

Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders tried to get a long-term deal done with Josh Jacobs, but in the end, they were able to sign him to a one-year deal. However, that deal did not come until August, and after a stunning 2022 campaign, Jacobs followed it up with a pretty pedestrian 2023 season that saw him miss the final four games due to injury.

This offseason, the Raiders are once again going to have to try and get Jacobs to come back on a long-term deal, but with a loaded running back market, it is still not decided what they plan to do. Jacobs has spent his entire NFL career in the Silver and Black, rocketing up the Raiders record book in the process, but his time with the franchise could be coming to an end.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jacobs is not expected to receive the franchise tag, making him the top returning free agent the Raiders will try to lure back to the desert.

Raiders should look to bring Jacobs back in 2024 and beyond

Running backs are not always locked in to earn a big contract as they get later in their NFL career, but Jacobs is different. Yes, he has been in the league since 2019, when he was a first-round pick of the Raiders out of Alabama, but he is still very young despite playing five seasons in the NFL.

Jacobs is also a do-everything running back, as he has the ability to hurt teams on the ground and through the air. In addition, Las Vegas has a question mark at the quarterback position going into this offseason, and the relationship between Jacobs and head coach Antonio Pierce is a solid one.

Zamir White played well with Jacobs injured last season, but we have not seen him be the feature back for a complete season just yet. With Jacobs still being young, and with how productive he has already been in his NFL career, he should be a priority free agent signing for the Raiders, but if they cannot get it done, at least this year's group of free agent running backs is deeper than most offseasons.