From Aaron Rodgers to Lamar Jackson, the offseason was full of trade sagas in the league. While the two quarterbacks became successful in securing great deals, some other running backs in the league like the Las Vegas Raiders Josh Jacobs miserably failed to ink a long-time deal ahead of the new season.
Josh even missed his team’s training camp session in protest of his ongoing contract disputes. Following Jimmy Garoppolo and Tyree Wilson’s absence from organized team activities due to injuries, the RB’s contract issue might become a headache for the Raiders, albeit they are showing no visual concern over it so far.
Raiders target Damien Williams as Josh Jacobs’ replacement
According to Jacobs agent Ian Greengross’ social media post, the Raiders have agreed to sign Damien Williams to a contract for the 2023 season, While the details of the deal have not been disclosed yet, the signing was later made official on the NFL’s transaction wire yesterday.
The #Raiders are signing former #Chiefs Super Bowl winning RB Damien Williams, per his agent @iangreengross. Back in the AFC West. pic.twitter.com/1mENq66JSD
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 11, 2023
The Raiders worked out the running back earlier in camp and their coach Josh McDaniels had positive remarks on him especially following two exhibitions in six days and two more joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams on top.
“He was in shape, has had a productive career. He’s a good football player, he’s smart, he’s tough. So we were interested in him, honestly, before.”
The 31-year-old star recorded 1,397 rushing yards along with 14 touchdowns while catching 154 passes for 1,209 yards as well as 11 scores throughout his 98 games for the Miami Dolphins from 2014 to 2017.
He later played for the Kansas City Chiefs (2018-19) and played a key role in Patrick Mahomes’ squad’s Super Bowl victory that season by recording 104 yards and one touchdown as well as four receptions for 29 yards along with another score. He had short stints with the Chicago Bears (2021) and Atlanta Falcons (2022) before landing in Las Vegas.
Update on Josh Jacobs’ contract situation
The Raiders decided to decline Jacobs‘ fifth-year option last spring before eventually slapping him with a franchise tag in March. The franchise tag deadline passed and he failed to reach a long-time contract with the franchise. If he decides to stay longer in Las Vegas, he could have to play on a $10.1 million deal this season.
Meanwhile, the RB cannot sign a new deal till the end of the upcoming season. After earning his first All-Pro nod along with a second Pro Bowl by leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage last season, this contract dispute might be very disappointing for him.
Amid Jacobs’s uncertainty in Las Vegas, Damien looks set to join Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, and Brandon Bolden on the franchise’s RB depth chart. What’s your take on the Raiders veteran’s contract issue? Do you think that the team should offer him a long-time deal? You can share your thoughts with us in the comments.
