Raiders’ Josh Jacobs has done plenty for Silver and Black. Now, Raiders need to reward him

The deadline for the Las Vegas Raiders to reach a long-term contract agreement with Josh Jacobs is rapidly approaching.

Will the Raiders and the running back’s camp agree on the right price? That remains to be seen, but Jacobs continued to show his value last season when he finished with 1,653 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

Statistics alone are a good enough reason why Jacobs is deserving of an extension at any reasonable numbers he desires.

No one knows how many years and what total value he’s seeking in a new deal, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano pointed out that Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler decided not pick up Jacobs’ fifth-year option.

Jacobs still left it all out on the field last season, including scoring the game-winner in overtime when he ran for a long touchdown in a walk-off win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Graziano believes Jacobs is less likely to get all of what he wants.

“(Raiders head coach Josh) McDaniels has engaged in a lot of roster turnover since he got to Vegas, indicating that he didn’t love what was in place before he got there. I would not be at all surprised to see the Raiders go with Option 3 on Jacobs and do nothing,” Graziano wrote.

Jacobs in June posted a cryptic message on Twitter: “Bad business.”

It’s unclear what he meant, but if no deal is reached, it’s possible Jacobs could sit out some or all of training camp. And maybe the Week 1 opener at Denver.

He’s not subject to team fines because he didn’t sign his franchise tender.

Jacobs, 25, previously played at Alabama and saw some playing time, but wasn’t the focal point. Still, he was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Raiders.

Ever since joining the Raiders, he’s put up over 1,000 yards per year, except in 2021 when he rushed for 872 yards and nine touchdowns.

In his four NFL seasons, Jacobs has rushed 1,072 times for 4,740 yards and 40 touchdowns in 60 games played.

San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa stamped his approval on Jacobs, knowing how hard he is to bring down

“Best running back I’ve played against in my career, no doubt about it,” Bosa told reporters in January. “That dude’s a beast. And they have a lot of really talented players. ... The NFL will humble you 100% of the time.”

Who are the other Raiders running backs?

If no deal is reached by the start of training camp on July 25 and Jacobs fails to report, the Raiders would turn in the short term to Ameer Abdullah, Brandon Bolden, Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick, Austin Waller and Zamir White.

That wouldn’t put the fear in opponents that Jacobs or someone such as Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry have during their NFL careers.

The Raiders need Jacobs as their bell cow in the backfield.

McDaniels is used to having a running-back-by committee, as his days in New England would suggest.

But he found out in 2022 that Jacobs can do it all on the field. McDaniels expressed his love for “the player and the person, and I’ll be excited when I see him.”

He better hope he’ll see Jacobs in time for the season opener. With the uncertainty at quarterback given Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury, having Jacobs in the backfield is likely key to any success the Raiders have on offense.