Josh Jacobs sets record straight on Raiders fallout after they tried lowballing him

Josh Jacobs' arrival at the Green Bay Packers was a surprise to many NFL fans. The running back had great seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, but the franchise decided against keeping him. As such, he reached free agency, signing a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay.

Jacobs is reportedly not happy with how the Raiders acted throughout negotiations. The team decided against activating his fifth-year option; as such, they had to franchise tag him in 2023 after a record-breaking season. Las Vegas lost him for free after five years.

On the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, the Packers running back said the Raiders tried to lowball him with small offers for a second contract:

"So basically, it was like, 'Oh, yeah, he needs the money.' I'm like, "I don't need no money.” I can quit playing right now. I'm great. Why do you think that you got the leverage when I just led the NFL? I'm only going to be 25 at the time, and you're telling me like I can't get paid."

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He also said that, due to Las Vegas refusing to engage in true negotiations, he was prepared to hold out the start of the 2023 season under the tag. Returning in Week 8 would allow him to count as a credited season, and he would be free to become a free agent:

"You already denied my fifth-year option — the smartest move you should have made was to accept that. But you don't do that, and then you like, 'Oh, we're going to franchise tag you.' But the whole time in my mind, me and my agent, we're like, 'Bro, I'm not playing. I'll come Week 8, so I can get a credited season, and force my way out.' That was my plan if they don't want to pay me.”

Raiders use first-round pick on running back after departure of Josh Jacobs

The 2024 season was an offensive disaster for the Raiders. While Jacobs surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in Green Bay, Las Vegas' leading back was Alexander Mattison, who had just 420 yards and four touchdowns.

This prompted the franchise to draft Ashton Jeanty with the sixth pick in 2025. The quarterback position was improved by Geno Smith's arrival via trade, but the rest of the offense also received a boost with Jeanty's arrival.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

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