The frigid running back market has been one of the stories of the NFL offseason thus far. Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs was one of three big RB names — New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Pollard being the other two — who were left out in the cold while hoping for a new contract.
Jacobs will be playing on the franchise tag next season so long as he signs his tender. The 25-year-old’s camp was unable to come to terms on a new deal with the Raiders before the July 17 deadline passed. There are whispers that Jacobs could potentially hold himself out of training camp, and potentially beyond that.
Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams made an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday. Asked about the last time he had talked to Jacobs, Adams revealed that their last contact was just a few days prior. The former All-Pro wideout shared his message in support of his teammate.
“I just told him to keep his head. … It’s a little easier when you just come in then once you start doing your thing on the field, it makes things a little more interesting come contract time. Basically just told him, I understand where he’s coming from. You’ve got to do what you got to do in order to feel your worth. You can’t just do something that your heart’s not in,” Adams told Patrick.
Davante Adams says he spoke to Josh Jacobs 3-4 days ago and shared with us what he told him. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/2rreEUptQD
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 21, 2023
While Adams sympathized with Jacobs, the wide receiver also gave the argument for returning to the team instead of potentially holding out.
“At the same time, I tried to present all the things to him,” the Raiders wideout continued. “The positives of coming back. … I just tried to remind him of the opportunity we have to potentially do something special together.”
Adams’ words of encouragement likely meant a lot to Jacobs. However, it can’t be discounted that Adams is also a wide receiver playing on a 5-year, $140 million contract as a 30-year-old. That’s a reality that doesn’t seem very plausible for running backs in today’s NFL, and a big reason why Jacobs and his peers are upset.
Jacobs reportedly sat in the Raiders facility parking lot with teammate Maxx Crosby ready to enter the building if a deal was reached, but nothing materialized.
With Raiders’ training camp fast approaching, Jacobs’ attendance or potential no-show will be something watch out for.
