Antonio Pierce: Josh Jacobs Was Heartbeat of Raiders, 'Hurt' to See Him Join Packers

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was disappointed to lose running back Josh Jacobs in free agency, calling him "the heartbeat" of the team, per USA Today's Ryan Wood.

"Don't like to see it. I made it known, the heartbeat, a Raider through and through," Pierce said. "As we all know, it's a business. You hear that a lot, but it's true. Money talks, BS walks. But that one hurt."

Jacobs, who was with the Raiders for his entire five-year career, signed with the Packers on a four-year, $48 million deal earlier in March. He had 805 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 13 games in 2023, a year after notching a career-high 1,653 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

Last offseason, the Raiders gave Jacobs a franchise tag, which he didn't sign. He then skipped Las Vegas' entire offseason program and preseason before signing a restructured one-year deal worth $11.791 million.

While losing Jacobs will be a hard adjustment, the Raiders have a solid option heading into the season with Zamir White. White, who filled in as the starter after Jacobs suffered a quad injury that kept him out of the final four games, had 451 yards and a touchdown last season. He rushed for more than 100 yards in two of his games as the starter, recording 145 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs and 112 yards against the Denver Broncos.

The second-year player out of Georgia has played behind Jacobs to start his career, but will now look to flourish as the starter.

Las Vegas added some depth in the form of former Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, who had 700 rushing yards on 180 carries last season. The Raiders also have the 13th overall pick that could be used on a running back.

The Raiders may have lost their heartbeat with Jacobs leaving, but they should be able to put together a solid season in the backfield.