Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is getting set to hit free agency this offseason, and the chances of the Raiders franchise tagging him again seem slim.

However, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus is not ruling out the possibility of Las Vegas retaining him.

In a piece where Spielberger lists off one major franchise tag candidate from each NFL team, he says that he would not be surprised if the Raiders ultimately give Jacobs a long-term deal.

Jacobs said after the season that if Las Vegas kept Antonio Pierce as head coach that he would be much more amenable to returning. The Raiders did just that, so the door is certainly open for Jacobs.

The 25-year-old is coming off of a rough 2023 campaign in which he rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a meager 3.5 yards per carry in 13 games. He also caught 37 passes for 296 yards.

Based on those numbers, you wouldn’t expect Jacobs to land a significant deal, but in 2022, he led the league with 1,653 rushing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns. In addition, he logged a robust 4.9 yards per attempt while also hauling in 53 receptions for 400 yards.

Jacobs, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by the Raiders with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.

He enjoyed a terrific rookie year, racking up 1,150 yards and seven scores on the ground while registering 4.8 yards per tote.

Jacobs then struggled with efficiency in 2020 and 2021, posting 3.9 and four yards per carry, respectively. He proceeded to bounce back with that monster campaign in 2022.

We’ll see what Las Vegas decides to do with Josh Jacobs next month.

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