Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
Earlier this week, the deadline passed for both Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs to discuss contract extensions and avoid playing the 2023 NFL season on the franchise tag.
Now it seems that there are details coming out about the negotiations that preceded that deadline for Josh Jacobs and the Las Vegas Raiders.
It turns out that the two sides were on two completely different pages during the negotiating process, especially right before the deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the two sides were nowhere close to actually reaching an agreement on a contract extension.
The Raiders want Josh Jacobs to play year to year, and that’s fine, writes @VicTafur.
But some of what happened this week is just weird.
Sources say the sides never got close to a deal.https://t.co/QnQGfAMyuP
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) July 20, 2023
Tafur’s report also added that Jacobs was likely looking for a deal around $22.3 million over the next 2 seasons, which is what he would expect to make if he was franchise tagged again next year, but would have given him the added security of having the 2nd year locked in before this season.
The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t come close to giving him that money.
Yesterday, I talked about how Jacobs didn’t really have leverage in his negotiations with the Raiders and this paints a pretty clear picture of how little he had.
With the two sides being so far apart in these negotiations, it seems like this could be Jacobs’ last year in Las Vegas regardless of how things play out for him during the upcoming season.
That wouldn’t be a shocking outcome after the Raiders declined his 5th-year option last year and then only committed to the franchise tag this offseason.
The team already has one replacement option available in Zamir White, who they drafted in round 4 the day after they decided not to pick up Jacobs’ option.
They could also turn to the draft a year from now to solidify the position.
If that really happens, then Josh Jacobs would at least get the chance to test free agency a year from now, but in the meantime he’ll have to suit up for a team that would commit to him for the next 2 years.