Raiders legend criticizes organization over Josh Jacobs contract situation

Jan 1, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) takes the field before the start of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Raiders legend Marcus Allen is not happy with the team, and the NFL as a whole, over running back Josh Jacobs’ contract situation.

Allen, a Hall of Fame running back, suggested that the Raiders’ unwillingness to pay Jacobs felt like “collusion” and was emblematic of the contract situations that a number of backs are facing right now.

“I’m just going to say it: It’s almost like collusion,” Allen said, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “They decided the running back position is one where the productivity is only for a short period of time, and instead of looking at each and every one individually, they have decided as a group that they’re not going to pay them.”

Allen’s comments have particular value considering the source. Allen carried the ball over 3,000 times during his 16-season NFL career. He made the Pro Bowl at age 33, over a decade after he made his NFL debut. Allen scored 15 touchdowns for the Chiefs that season.

Jacobs remains absent from Raiders camp, as he refuses to play on the franchise tag. The 25-year-old led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,653 yards, but the two sides have not been able to reach any sort of agreement.

The state of running back contracts has been a major story recently, with Jacobs far from the only player at the position to find himself at odds with his team lately. Allen’s comments pretty much sum up their complaints, though any pressure he puts on his former team is unlikely to move the needle.