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Tuesday Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels took to the podium to address the media as the team’s players report to camp. The top subjects at hand were those of the absence of Josh Jacobs, the addition of Marcus Peters, and the injury status of rookie top pick Tyree Wilson.
As far as Josh Jacobs, the reigning rushing champ did not report to camp as he refused to sign the franchise tag and no long term deal could be reached prior to the deadline.
Overall, the value of running backs in the NFL has been way down, thus the franchise tag number is as well. Players of Jacobs’s age and caliber prefer to have job security, not a one-year deal for what they feel is below their value.
This issue had backs from across the NFL hold a private zoom call to discuss what to do about it. McDaniels was asked about his thoughts on it.
“Obviously I can’t speak for anything that happened in the meeting. Obviously I wasn’t privy to any of that. But, look, I respect every player’s right to do what’s right for them. That’s why the league is what it is in terms of value and contracts. And those things are personal. We all have to go through them. I’ve said it multiple times this spring, I respect him tremendously. I have a great deal of respect for him as a player and a person. What he did for our team last year and I look forward to seeing him whenever he is here. And I respect that process too. It’s his decision to make. They all have to do what they think is best for them. We all have to do those things in our lives. And I have a great deal of respect for him.”
As to what occurred with regard to the contract negotiations with Jacobs.
“There’s nothing. I know [GM] Dave [Ziegler] and Tom worked feverishly with his representation last week. Do what they could. Again, I respect his decision to ultimately not sign a deal at that point. So, right now, I mean, it is what it is. There hasn’t been much since the deadline. Certain things can change, we know that, but certainly that’s a lot of his decision. And whatever he chooses to do that’s his choice. I look forward to seeing him when we see him.”
On whether the deal Saquon Barkley worked out with the Giants could change things.
“I don’t know all the details. I was here doing a bunch of stuff so I’m not exactly sure of the ins and outs on that. But anything can certainly change in that regard. I’m a coach, I’d love to have every one of them here. That’s obviously a preference of ours so we can work with each player. But when that is? We’ll see.”
The team signed veteran cornerback Marcus Peters on Monday. McDaniels spoke on what Peters brings to the team.
“It’s an exciting opportunity. Marcus has been a very decorated player for the entirety of his career for the teams that he’s played for. I’ve coached against him a number of times and when you’re playing against him, always know where he’s at because there’s a chance you might not want to throw at him. Players earn that status, not coaches or anybody else. He’s a very intelligent football player. I had multiple opportunities to sit down and talk with him. Very bright, understands the game, really mature, intelligent guy in terms of defensive structure, coverages, reading route patterns, etc. Very impressed with that. And he wants to be a Raider. So, it was exciting for us to be able to make that happen and excited to put him in with our group and I know he’s eager to get to work.”
Defensive end Tyree Wilson was selected at seven overall in April’s draft. He has been recovering from a foot injury and was placed on the Non-Football Injury list to start camp. McDaniels addressed Wilson’s status.
“No timeline, but he’s headed in the right direction, no question about it. Excited about that. And this is, again, just the process that we expected based on what was happening at the time we drafted him, so we knew that there was going to be a rehabilitation process and there’s going to be a reacclimation process here. He’s doing a great job. Everything that he’s doing right now and once he’s ready to roll then we’ll re-enter him into practice the right way and get him ready to go for the rest of the season.”