Raiders Free Agents: RB Josh Jacobs

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has been a focal point of the Silver and Black's offense since he was drafted in 2019. Jacobs has rushed for 1,000 yards in three of his five seasons with the Raiders.

In the other two seasons, including this past season, Jacobs rushed for over 800 yards while missing multiple games due to a quad injury.

Jacobs likely would have run for more than 1,000 yards in five consecutive seasons without the injury. Needless to say, Jacobs' free agency is a high priority.

The Raiders used their franchise tag on Jacobs last year, when he held out all of the offseason until signing his franchise tag tender, which paid him nearly $12 million.

The Raiders again find themselves having to decide on the future of Jacobs, which will undoubtedly significantly impact their offense and the team moving forward.

Jacobs finished this season with 805 rushing yards in 13 games. It marks the fewest games Jacobs has played in a season and his fewest rushing yards.

The Raiders' issues on offense weren't solely or even mainly on Jacobs, as he ranked near the top of the league in rushing yards when he went down because of an injury against the Minnesota Vikings.

However, the struggles of the offense directly impacted Jacobs' effectiveness this season, especially early in the year before Las Vegas' coaching change Interim Coach Antonio Pierce.

Looking forward, the Raiders must consider many things when deciding what to do with Jacobs. The Raiders must consider how much money Jacobs is asking for compared to the league-average pay for running backs.

In addition, the Raiders will have to consider Jacobs' usage, as he accounted for 80 percent of the team's rushes last season.

Jacobs was on pace to finish this season with nearly 80 percent of the carries before his injury. Jacobs has accounted for more than 50 percent of the team's carries every year of his professional career.

Sooner or later, that usage will catch up to any player, especially at a position that takes as much physical contact as running back.

The Raiders will, of course, also have to consider that they already have a younger and much cheaper running back on their roster -- Zamir White.

The second-year running back had a successful end to the season, becoming the first Raiders running back to rush for over 100 yards in two of his first games as the starting back.

Las Vegas will also have to consider what to do at running back if they let Jacobs walk.

Including Jacobs, two of the four running backs on Las Vegas' roster are set to become free agents. If they let one or both of them walk, the Raiders will have to find other running backs to fill the void and help carry the load in addition to White.

The Raiders' decision on Jacobs is arguably the most significant decision they will have to make regarding players on their roster who are set to become free agents.

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