It seems that Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs recently turned down an offer from the team that exceeded what the New York Giants and fellow disgruntled star Saquon Barkley agreed to earlier this week.
The contract dispute between Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and their respective teams has garnered a great deal of attention in NFL circles over the last couple of weeks. The two running backs were Pro Bowlers in 2022. They both were set to be free agents this offseason and had their chances to hit the open market blocked by having franchise tags placed on them.
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Unfortunately for both, now is an era where even elite stars at their position are paid far less than other positions, and playing on a franchise tag is not as financially beneficial as it should be. Unsurprisingly, both attempted to land long-term lucrative deals with their organizations over the last few months, but neither was able to achieve that goal.
The pair of star backs seemed on course to sit out for the preseason and maybe even games during the NFL regular season. However, earlier this week, the New York Giants and Saquon Barkley agreed to a restructured contract that offered the two-time Pro Bowler incentives that could increase his pay to $11 million in 2023 and also included a signing bonus.
Josh Jacobs reportedly passed on $12 million in 2023 from Las Vegas Raiders
That agreement to make sure Barkley is in camp and on the team this season has led to speculation that maybe the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacobs could work out their differences and come to terms on a revised deal. Well, that seems to be unlikely because Las Vegas actually offered a contract for more than $11 million that the All-Pro already passed on.
On Thursday, NFL Media league insider Mike Garafolo revealed during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” that “Josh Jacobs got an offer from the Las Vegas Raiders [for] around $12 million per year.” While it could be similar to Barkley’s contract and uses incentives, it is still more than his Giants’ contemporary and would make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the league.
- Josh Jacobs stats (2022): 2,053 total yards, 53 catches, 12 touchdowns
However, Josh Jacobs reportedly left Las Vegas earlier this week after contract talks failed and the two sides seem far apart on terms after $12 million for 2023 allegedly wasn’t enough.