Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is back with the team after signing a new one-year contract this past week, and it seems to have been good business for him.
Jacobs signed a one-year, $12 million deal this week. That’s more than the $10.1 million franchise tag tender would have paid him. Not only did Jacobs make nearly $2 million extra in 2023 by holding out, but he likely made himself more money in 2024.
The increase in base salary means Jacobs’ franchise tag tender would be approaching $14 million in 2024 if the Raiders were to use it on him again. Jacobs is guaranteed either $26 million over two years or a shot at the open market next year. Either scenario seems favorable to him.
There were reports that Jacobs actually turned down a similar deal prior to the franchise tag deadline. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk disputed this, suggesting that the Raiders had not even offered to guarantee two years of the tag, which would have been $22.2 million.
In other words, Jacobs’ decision to hold out and refuse to sign his franchise tag guaranteed him at least $4 million more than his previous best-case scenario. That seems like pretty solid business on his end.
Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher in 2023, and will play a big part in their offense going forward. Perhaps the Raiders always saw this outcome as likely, considering their stubborn refusal to discuss trades for him.
