There haven’t been many positives so far from the 2022 season for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, one player that has had a strong season is Josh Jacobs. In fact, no player on the Raiders is having a better year than Jacobs as he is playing at a near All-Pro level.
However, it’s a bit bittersweet for the Raiders as the team declined his fifth-year option this offseason, making him a free agent at the end of the year.
In a recent article by Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus, he listed some of the top free agents set to hit the open market in 2023. Jacobs made the list, coming in at No. 2 among running backs. Here are Meirov’s thoughts on the former first-round pick:
“Earlier this year, the Raiders declined Jacobs’ fifth-year option that would’ve paid him $8 million for the 2023 season. The Alabama product seems to have taken that personally and has gone on to be PFF’s highest-graded running back through 10 weeks.
Jacobs is top-five in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards after contact, missed tackles forced and 10-plus-yard runs. He will be 25 years old in February.”
Through nine games, Jacobs has already totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and has scored seven touchdowns. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, which is the most of his career by a decent margin.
Jacobs has been remarkably consistent throughout his NFL career, totaling over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns in every season. With his ability to play on all three downs, look for him to get a sizeable pay raise by March. Will that be from the Raiders? That remains to be seen.
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