Three NFL running backs were wearing the franchise tag this offseason and none reached long-term contract extensions with their respective teams by the Monday afternoon deadline. That means that if all three of the running backs — Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys, and Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants — want to play in 2023, they’ll have to do so under their one-year tag amounts of $10.091 million.
Of those three running backs, the Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to play one of them during the 2023 regular season. That one is Jacobs as the Steelers are scheduled to play the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week Three of the season. As for the summer status of Jacobs moving forward into training camp, ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed in on that Monday.
“With no long-term deal being reached today, Josh Jacobs is not expected to report to training camp with the rest of his team,” Schefter tweeted on Monday. “The Raiders are not expected to see Jacobs until later this summer, if then. Jacobs will have decisions to make as to when he is willing to report.”
So, could Jacobs wind up doing what former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell did back in 2018, meaning not signing his franchise tag and then sitting out the entire season? We’ll see. It is worth noting however that Bell was on his second franchise tag in 2018. In short, he already pocketed decent career earnings, nearly $16 million, up until deciding to sit out the 2018 season. As for Jacobs, he’s earned $11,933,398 to date. Another $10.091 million might be too hard for him to turn down in 2023.
If anything, Jacobs might wind up being a very late arrival this summer. Maybe he’ll sit out all of training camp and the preseason and then sign his franchise tag tender just prior to Week One. If he goes that route, however, one must wonder if he would be in top shape to start the 2023 regular season.
Should Jacobs wind up waiting until right before Week One to report, one would think that by Week Three he would likely be where he needs to be physically. He just turned 25 earlier this year so he’s still a relatively young player. He has, however, already registered 1,232 total touches in the NFL in his first four NFL seasons. Only two other players, running backs Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook, have registered more touches than Jacobs since 2019.
It will be worth keeping an eye on Jacobs the rest of the summer as to when and if he reports. Jacobs, by the way, has only played against the Steelers once so far in his NFL career and that was last season in the Week 16 game in Pittsburgh. In that Christmas Eve contest, Jacobs had 44 yards rushing on 15 carries in addition to one reception for six yards. He missed the Week Two game against the Steelers in 2021 with a toe injury.
