Josh Jacobs is set to be a free agent after leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards, but is making no secret of his desire to return to the Raiders despite a down year for Las Vegas.
“I’ve got the Raiders seal tatted on me,” Jacobs told NFL Network on Thursday. “It’s always something that I wanted to be a part of. I want to give back to win and change the culture to get the winning mentality and things like that. I’m fully invested in that. … I mean, I just bought a house in Vegas.”
But Jacobs made it clear later that day that he is seeking a long-term deal and would only return to the Raiders to play on a one-year franchise tag under the right circumstances.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t want to get franchise tagged,” Jacobs told ProFootballTalk. “But I wouldn’t mind it if they got the right guys in the building around us. [If] they got some guys on defense, figure out the quarterback situation, got some guys up front, then I would be like, ‘OK, I really wouldn’t mind coming back on the franchise tag.’ But if you want me to come back and be the hero, you’ve got to pay me like the hero.”
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Jacobs’ performance was one of the few bright spots in a rough first season for Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. Despite acquiring star wide receiver Davante Adams, the Raiders stumbled to a 6-11 record while their defense struggled and longtime quarterback Derek Carr was eventually benched with the team aiming to move on from him in the offseason.
The Raiders currently do not have an entrenched starter at quarterback. They were heavily linked to former rival Tom Brady at the beginning of their offseason, as McDaniels was Brady’s longtime offensive coordinator with the Patriots. But Brady’s Feb. 1 announcement that he was retiring “for good” nixed that option.
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However, Adams has made no secret that he will attempt to recruit his longtime Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders. Jacobs admitted on CBS Sports Radio he was “disappointed” that Brady retired before the running back got a chance to play with the seven-time Super Bowl winner. He added that Rodgers’ potential arrival in Las Vegas would “change a lot of dynamics” for him in his contract negotiations with the Raiders and he would help recruit Rodgers if the future Hall of Famer approached him.
If Jacobs and the Raiders are not able to come to an agreement to keep him in silver and black in 2023, the two-time Pro Bowl running back will likely have plenty of suitors — including, perhaps, even the Raiders’ AFC West rival Denver Broncos.
New Broncos head coach Sean Payton praised Jacobs when both appeared on FanDuel TV on Thursday, saying he was constantly impressed while watching Jacobs every Sunday as he worked as a FOX Sports NFL analyst during the 2022 season.
“He was outstanding this year,” Payton said. “Downhill physical runner. For a team that wasn’t necessarily having success, he was always consistently playing well. I’m glad he’s a free agent, I encourage everyone to look at him and get him out of the [AFC] West. Maybe we look at him.”
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