Raiders to use franchise tag on star RB if long-term deal not reached
The NFL’s leading rusher in 2022 was near the top of the projected running back free-agent class of 2023. He will not, as it turns out, be able to test the open market, however. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the Raiders will place the franchise tag on Josh Jacobs in the absence of a long-term deal being agreed upon (Twitter link).
The news comes as little surprise given the value Jacobs demonstrated this past season. The former first-rounder racked up 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, posting career-highs in carries and yards per rush, and 400 yards added in the passing game helped earn him a second Pro Bowl nod and a first All-Pro honor — and boost his free-agent value considerably.
The Raiders declined Jacobs’ fifth-year option, which led to his contract status coming to this point in 2023. The running back tag for this season checks in at $10.1M, a figure that would nearly double Jacobs’ career earnings to date. It would also allow him to remain with the Raiders for at least one more season, something he has expressed a desire to do. Like all other players, though, he has openly lamented the possibility of playing on the one-year tag in lieu of a multi-year contract.
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have stated a willingness to retain Jacobs, 25, despite their decision last offseason to decline his fifth-year option. That could still come in the form of a long-term deal being finalized before the March 7 tag deadline; Jacobs said at the Pro Bowl that talks on a new contract were expected to start. Progress on that front will be worth watching closely in the coming days, as the running back market will likely get thinned out.
The franchise tag is the expected outcome in the case of the Cowboys and Tony Pollard and a distinct possibility for the Giants and Saquon Barkley. Jacobs being taken off the market would help the free-agent stock for the pair of NFC East rushers, but all three RBs being tagged would have a ripple effect on free agency. Miles Sanders and David Montgomery could find themselves as the top players at the position due for second contracts, though a number of veterans – including
Leonard Fournette – are set to hit the market as well.
Even if the tag ends up being used on Jacobs (which would extend the negotiating window between him and the Raiders into mid-July), Vegas would still find itself with more financial flexibility than most other teams. The Raiders currently has more than $48M in cap space, and a Jacobs tag would not cut too deeply into that figure. Of course, a quarterback addition of some kind would eat into the team’s available funds, though a veteran acquisition may not be in the cards this offseason. In any case, Jacobs will remain in the Silver and Black for at least one more year.
