Josh Jacobs breaks silence on $12,000,000 offer, dares Raiders to find a replacement
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has finally spoken up about his standoff with the franchise.
A report emerged this week that the Raiders tabled an offer of $12 million for the running back. Jacobs reportedly rejected the offer and is unlikely to report to training camp in the meantime.
When one fan told him that $12 million a year sounds like common sense to him, Jacobs tweeted back saying:
"Use your context clues."
Replying to another fan who stated that he's replaceable, Jacobs said:
"Let’s see them do it then."
Josh Jacobs not alone in NFL running back controversy
Last night, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had something to say on the running back saga.
Irsay tweeted:
"We have negotiated a CBA that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides. To say now that a specific player category wants another negotiation after the fact is inappropriate. Some agents are selling ‘bad faith’."
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's agent promptly replied to Irsay, saying:
"Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player."
The market for running backs has depreciated quite a bit. So much so, that Chargers' Austin Ekeler reportedly held a Zoom call to address the issue.
Jacobs was one of the attendees alongside Giants star Saquon Barkley. Interestingly, Barkley settled on an $11 million deal with his franchise to play out the year.
The deal is being seen as a marriage of convenience for both parties since it allows Barkley to overperform his contract while giving the Giants some security for the season and some leeway for the next. However, the Giants will be able to franchise tag Barkley next year for a figure in the range of $13 million.
In an earlier tweet, Jacobs made it clear that the running backs didn't set out to "reset" the market.
Currently, 49ers star Christian McCaffrey is the highest-paid running back in the league with an annual average value of $16.016 million a year. The franchise tag for running backs is $10.1 million for the year, which is what Cowboys RB Tony Pollard will be paid in 2023.