In his first offseason with the organization, the new general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders will have to make some difficult decisions. A recent study examines one such dilemma.
Josh Jacobs and the Las Vegas Raiders offensive had a very different 2023 season than in 2022, when they finished as one of the worst rushing teams in the National Football League. In 2022, they had led the league in rushing.
More people were harmed than not by former coach Josh McDaniels’ failure to maximize the potential of the offense he assembled. Ultimately, it resulted in the dismissal of an offensive coordinator, head coach, and general manager.
One of the first and most crucial choices that newly appointed Raiders general manager Tom Telesco will have to make will concern Josh Jacobs, the team’s standout running back.
Jacobs dominated the league in rushing the previous offseason, so the Raiders applied their franchise tag to him. The While he and the Raiders hammered out a one-year deal that paid Jacobs marginally more than he would have if he signed the franchise tag tender, the veteran back would miss the entire offseason.
The likelihood of Jacobs coming back increased when the Raiders named Antonio Pierce as their permanent head coach. However, Telesco and the Raiders front office will decide the terms of Jacobs’ return.
Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus thinks the Raiders might use the franchise tag in the same manner as they did in the previous offseason after Jacobs’ disappointing season, in which he ran for around half the yards he did the previous season.
“The Raiders tagged Jacobs in 2022 after he led the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage.,” Mosher stated. “With his numbers declining everywhere in 2023, Jacobs was unable to produce the same kind of season. Although the coaching staff like Jacobs, it would be shocking if they ever franchised him once more. But don’t out the chance that, once free agency starts, the Raiders will sign Jacobs to a long-term contract.”
Similar to the previous season, Jacobs may once more be subject to the Raiders’ franchise tag. In the short run, it benefits both parties, he and the team could agree.
Even if Jacobs could want a long-term deal, it might be better for his long-term prospects to return to the Raiders on a deal that benefits the organization.
