Raiders Should Prioritize New Josh Jacobs Contract Amid 2024 NFL Free Agency Rumors

After five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh Jacobs could soon be joining a new team for the first time in his NFL career. The 26-year-old running back is set to hit free agency, which opens Wednesday (with the legal tampering period beginning Monday).

Maybe not so fast.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, a reunion between Jacobs and the Raiders is "not off the table." But it could also take a good bit of money for Las Vegas to retain its star RB.

Spotrac projects Jacobs to earn an average annual salary of $10.5 million. That means he could earn a deal somewhere in the ballpark of three years for roughly $31.7 million.

It could be well worth it for the Raiders to pay that to keep Jacobs in silver and black, as he likely still has several highly productive years ahead of him.

Jacobs' numbers were a bit down in 2023, when he rushed for a career-low 805 yards and six touchdowns. But he also played in only 13 games, missing time due to a quad injury.

Only two seasons ago, Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards during a 2022 campaign in which he scored 12 touchdowns in 17 games. When he's healthy and staying on the field, he's among the league's best running backs.

There should be other strong RBs hitting the free-agent market as well. The group could include Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard, among others. So the Raiders could always pursue a different running back.

Las Vegas will also have a chance to add a potential new starting RB via the 2024 NFL draft.

But Jacobs has proven he can be a great fit with the Raiders, and it makes sense why they'd be considering a return for their franchise running back.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, Las Vegas head coach Antonio Pierce wasn't shy about his feelings regarding the possibility of Jacobs returning to the only NFL team he has played for.

"I would love it, man, Two-headed monster with him and [Zamir] White? Watch out, just watch out," Pierce said, per Aidan Champion of Sports Illustrated. "I know he wants to get paid, I hope he gets paid as a Raider."

Perhaps that happens in the near future, even if it gets to the point where Jacobs becomes a free agent and can negotiate with other teams. That might not end Las Vegas' pursuit, depending on how the market develops.

The Raiders could be a team on the rise under Pierce, and Jacobs knows he can have success in their offense. So they should try to work out a deal to continue a partnership that has worked well since the running back joined the franchise as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.