[ad_1]
So far, Josh Jacobs’ NFL career has somewhat mimicked the career of former Raider and Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen. Three years after breaking Allen’s franchise rookie rushing record, Jacobs led the NFL in rushing (1,653 rushing yards in 2022), a feat Allen also achieved during his fourth year in the league. Jacobs, whose rookie contract has expired, can follow in Allen’s footsteps by leaving the Raiders early.
Jacobs did not participate in the Las Vegas offseason schedule and did not report to minicamp after failing to reach an agreement with Las Vegas on a new contract after the team placed him on franchise tag. Since Jacobs has not yet signed his franchise label, he cannot be fined for missing the mandatory parts of the off-season because he is technically not under contract. They would pay him $10.1 million fully guaranteed in 2023.
Rushing the reigning NFL champ, who turned 25 in February, will hold his own during the Raiders’ training camp, which begins July 25 for veterans, should he not have a new deal before the July 17 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players to make agreements about long-term extensions, said Fox 5 Las Vegas’ mean pigeon.
“I think this is the first year where I went into the off-season feeling great,” said Jacobs said Villicana. “Not because of what I’ve achieved, but in terms of my body. I had no scrapes and bruises at the end of the year, so there was no rehab for the whole off-season, just training. I just feel good, I feel explosive.” .”
If made available, whether as a free agent by the Raiders revoking the tag or via trade, Jacobs would be one of the most sought-after players up for grabs at this point in the off-season. Given the current declining economy, Jacobs should be a relatively affordable player. Its current expected market value is $51,409,696 over four years for an annual average of $12,852,424, according to Spotrac.
Based on their need for backup and salary cap situations, here are the top five landing spots for the league’s reigning rushing champ.
Since Miles Sanders is now a Carolina Panther, Jacobs would be a seamless addition to an Eagles offense that netted 35 points in the Super Bowl. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles don’t “need” anyone at this stage of the off-season, but if he’s just three points short in the Super Bowl, general manager Howie Roseman could go all in.
Although he was a Pro Bowl player last year, Sanders is not a volume runner. He only had two games last year in which he received at least 20 carries. He was largely invisible in the Super Bowl, as he only gained 16 yards on seven carries. Sanders is good, but it seemed like the Eagles would have benefited from a more physical presence in the backfield. New off-season signings D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny have shown they have injury risks with higher career carry volumes. Philly would get a battering ram in Jacobs, who had at least 20 carries in nine games last year. Jacobs, who caught 53 passes in 2022, could also be a viable option for Jalen Hurts in the passing game.
With an NFL high cap room of $32 million, the Bears have the money to bring Jacobs to the Windy City. Chicago also needs the position after quarterback Justin Fields ran 342 more yards than the Bears’ second-leading rusher last season. Speaking of Fields, the Bears want to surround their young quarterback with more talented skill players, so the thought of Jacobs ending up in Chicago makes a lot of sense.
In addition to giving an elite running back, the addition of Jacobs would take some of the burden off Fields to play with his feet. While his 2022 season was one of the most prolific seasons by a quarterback in NFL history in terms of running, Fields paid for it, missing two games with an injury. The Bears need to cut back on Fields’ running, and Jacobs would allow them to.
Miami would need to free up significant clearance space, but Jacobs would fit in extremely well in South Beach. While their passing game was lethal last season (when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy), the Dolphins’ rushing offense was one of the least productive in the league. It is imperative that Miami Tagovailoa give more support as far as the running game is concerned.
Making this scenario more likely is the fact that Miami needs to run back given that last year’s top two rushers – Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson – are free agents. In an ideal situation, the Dolphins could acquire Jacobs and then sign Mostert or Wilson at an affordable rate to complement Jacobs.
A strong running game is a quarterback’s best friend. Just ask John Elway, who lost three Super Bowls before winning two at the end of his career while sharing a backfield with Hall of Fame runner Terrell Davis. The Broncos would be wise to pair their current quarterback, Russell Wilson, with Jacobs to right the ship in Denver.
The Broncos already have a talented running back in Javonte Williams, but with Williams suffering an injury that limited him to just four games last year, the Broncos would be wise to enlist more outside help than just Samaje Perine on a two-year-old age. $7.5 million deal. Jacobs would certainly excel on Sean Payton’s offense, an offense that (among others) Alvin Kamara was good at when Payton was in New Orleans.
The Cardinals need a spark after what has been a nightmarish 2022. They could provide that spark in the form of signing Jacobs, who would give quarterback Kyler Murray more firepower. Arizona has the resources to make this happen, as it currently has nearly $27 million ($26.7 million) in cap space, the second largest in the entire league, behind only the Bears.
Jacobs would serve as the perfect complement to James Conner, a two-time Pro Bowler who has had injuries throughout his career. With Murray under center, Jacobs and Conner in the backfield, and Marquise Brown and Zach Ertz on the outside and inside, the Cardinals would, on paper, possess one of the best offenses in the league.
[ad_2]
Source link