The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off their mandatory minicamp today, and one player that continues to be absent is running back Josh Jacobs.
Last season, Jacobs got off to a slow start, battling injuries. However, he managed to get things going late in the year. In the last three weeks of the regular season, Jacobs put the team on his back, accumulating 324 rushing yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, Jacobs performed admirably in the playoffs versus the Cincinnati Bengals. In the Raiders’ first playoff appearance since 2016, Jacobs put up 83 yards on the ground. Of note, he also totaled 44 yards through the air off of four receptions.
Will Josh Jacobs end up getting traded by the Raiders?
The Athletic’s Tashan Reed stated that Jacobs was not around for the team’s first day of mandatory minicamp. Jacobs missed all of the team’s voluntary workouts this offseason as well, which now leads to much speculation among the media and fans.
As most fans are aware, Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler opted not to pick up Jacobs’ fifth year option back in April. Even more questions have been raised by the fact that the team brought in a lot of players for the position during the NFL Draft in April.
#Raiders who I don't see at the first day of mandatory minicamp:
– RB Kenyan Drake
– RB Josh Jacobs
– TE Cole Fotheringham
– OL Denzelle Good
– CB Trayvon Mullen
– DL Johnathan Hankins— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) June 7, 2022
Jacobs’ tenure with the Raiders has been noteworthy. He’s undoubtedly proven both his worth and toughness, but he’s also seen his share of problems with fans. The term “wishy-washy” has become synonymous with Jacobs due to his confrontational stance on social media at times.
As far as the Raiders’ new duo, both Ziegler and Josh McDaniels come from the New England Patriots, where the running back position is expendable. There’s no “top guy.” Rather, it’s a committee, a rotation that keeps the position going. If Jacobs is indeed trying to get a long-term commitment from Las Vegas, he might be in a no-win situation at the moment. The team’s current brass has made their priorities clear this offseason. Could Jacobs be on the way out?
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*Top Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images