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Raiders RB Josh Jacobs Ends Holdout

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8 months ago

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Steelers Raiders Josh Jacobs Franchise Tag
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) carries the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)

The Las Vegas Raiders and running back Josh Jacobs have reached an agreement to end his holdout.

“I’m back,” Jacobs Tweeted on Saturday.

According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jacobs will play under a one-year deal that could be worth up to $12 million when factoring in per-game roster bonuses and other potential incentives.

He is expected to be in Las Vegas when the Raiders return from their preseason finale, which is Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys. He has not practiced with the team all offseason, and has been holding out away from the team since July.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will visit the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week 3, their first-ever trip to the city. Jacobs had a huge impact on the Las Vegas offense in 2022. He led the NFL in rushing yards (1,653) and yards per game (97.2), total touches (393) and yards from scrimmage (2,053).

Jacobs has been front and center in an NFL offseason that has seen plenty of attention paid to the relative value of running backs. Jacobs, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard all did not reach long-term extensions after being franchise tagged, top running backs such as Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott have been released and Joe Mixon took a pay cut with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jacobs appears to have followed Barkley’s path in attempting to maximize his value within the limits of the one-year contract imposed by the franchise tag.

His return will undoubtedly be a big boost for the Raiders, who otherwise would have relied on Ameer Abdullah and have free agent Brandon Bolden in his place. Abdullah rushed for 20 yards in 2022 and Bolden 66.

The Steelers fared well against Jacobs last season, holding him to 44 yards on 15 carries in the Christmas Eve game between the teams at Acrisure Stadium. That was his second-lowest total output and second-lowest yards per carry of the season. He tied for his fewest yards from scrimmage of the season with 50.

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