Last summer, the Las Vegas Raiders used their franchise tag on former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, preventing him from reaching free agency. However, because the tag did not result in a long-term contract for Jacobs, the ball carrier entered free agency earlier this month and signed with the Green Bay Packers.
“Don’t like seeing it,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said of Jacobs’ exit. “I made it clear that the heartbeat was Raider through and through. But, as everyone knows, it is a business. You’ve heard that saying, but it’s true: money talks, BS walks. He had to do what was best for himself and his family, and I wish him well.
Green Bay signed Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract that includes a $12.5 million signing bonus, the contract’s guaranteed element.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” Pierce stated on Monday at the NFL’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida. “Every team deals with that. You need to go on and forward.
“The good news is Zamir (White) had a tremendous opportunity last year. We’ve seen what he can do, and now he’ll be the frontrunner alongside Alex Mattison.”
Jacobs, a first-round draft pick in 2019, spent five seasons with the Raiders, where his 5,545 running yards rank third in franchise history, trailing Marcus Allen’s 8,545 and Mark van Eeghen’s 5,907. Jacobs won
White rushed for 451 yards and one touchdown on 104 carries last season. He started four games that Jacobs missed due to an injury. The Raiders signed Alexander Mattison in free agency after he rushed for 700 yards on 180 rushes for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 but did not score a touchdown.
Las Vegas did not sign Jacobs until around two weeks before the start of the 2023 season. He started the first game, but his totals plummeted to 805 running yards and 1,101 yards from scrimmage as he missed the final four games of the season due to a quadriceps injury.
Jacobs, the first-team All-Pro running back in 2022, had 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage.
