The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot to think about currently. Their quarterback situation, albeit one that head coach Josh McDaniels isn’t currently worried about, is a shaky one. There is a chance that starting Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t ready to go when the season starts because of the surgery that he had to have on his foot. The surgery was unexpected and led to him failing his physical.
The Raiders are also trying to navigate the contract situation with running back Josh Jacobs. With a new regime in place last offseason, Jacobs had the fifth-year option on his contract declined, making him a free agent in 2023.
He responded with the best season of his career, leading the NFL in rushing yards, touches and yards from scrimmage. Jacobs set himself up for a major payday, but that hasn’t been in the cards yet either.
The Raiders placed the franchise tag on the 2019 first-round pick, ensuring he remains with the team for at least one more season. A long-term deal has yet to be worked out and Jacobs has hinted at being willing to hold out.
Jacobs is now missing mandatory team activities as he has not signed a franchise tender. That could lead to Las Vegas making some changes in their backfield, with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk suggesting the team pursue Dalvin Cook instead.
“Under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raiders used the franchise tag to keep running back Josh Jacobs in place for at least another season, at $10.1 million. The Raiders also could, under those same rules, rescind the franchise tag.
Would they? If Jacobs won’t accept their best offer on a long-term deal (the deadline for finalizing a multi-year contract is July 17), it would make sense to consider their options. And they could, in theory, pursue Dalvin Cook as a potential replacement for Jacobs.”
Would the Raiders be getting much of a discount pursuing Cook over working out a long-term deal with Jacobs? The Minnesota Vikings released Cook earlier this offseason after not being able to find a trade partner. Riding a streak of four straight Pro Bowl nominations, Cook is still looking to get paid according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
“Dalvin Cook is not looking to sign a $4-5 million contract, that is not going to happen,” Pelissero said on the “Rich Eisen Show,” via BroBible. “This is going to be a significant contract.”
While the suggestion from Florio makes sense to pivot elsewhere should a long-term deal for Jacobs not materialize, Cook likely isn’t the answer. Both players are looking to sign lucrative contracts, so why wouldn’t Las Vegas just focus on maintaining the relationship with the player they already have and are negotiating with exclusively, instead of bidding against 31 other teams for Cook?
