Report: Josh Jacobs expected to return to Raiders by Week 1

The Las Vegas Raiders have been playing the waiting game with star running back Josh Jacobs, and according to a new report from Raiders reporter Vincent Bonsignore, league sources expect the former first-rounder to end his holdout before Week 1.

Jacobs did not sign his franchise tag deal for $10.1 million this offseason and therefore, he didn’t join the team for training camp or preseason games. Naturally, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels would like his top running back on the field as soon as possible with Week 1 just three weeks away.

“This is the National Football League,” McDaniels said, “so it’s not easy to go out there and just play games and do it at the speed and level that you want to do it at, unless you’ve really kind of had enough opportunity to get yourself ready to do that.”

“Whether it be J.J. or somebody else, it’s the same thing,” McDaniels added. “Everybody’s gotta have an opportunity to do that, to get reacclimated to the pace, the speed of things.”

Over the course of his career, Jacobs has tallied 1,072 carries, 4,740 yards, 40 touchdowns with 4.4 yards per carry. He also has 160 catches and 1,152 receiving yards.

Despite his extensive resume, McDaniels still wants to see Jacobs re-establish himself within the offense before the season begins.

“Nothing carries over from one year to the next,” McDaniels said. “You have to re-establish your individual level of performance, and collectively as a unit and ultimately as a team, we have to establish and re-establish ourselves in terms of what we’re gonna be about.”

Raiders’ Davante Adams sympathizes with Jacobs’ holdout

Raiders receiver Davante Adams discussed Jacobs’ situation earlier in the preseason. Though he didn’t outright say he believes the team should pay the running back, he did say that he believes Jacobs is the best back in the league.

“You see the way we like to play the game, we like to run the ball… Not having him right now is obviously something that I’m not happy with,” Adams said on NFL Network. “We got to keep it going as a team until we figure out that piece. Obviously, he’s a huge part of this team and this offense. He’s a really good leader.

“He played like the best back in the league last year, which if you ask me he is the best back in the league. It’s tough not having him at this point of the training period. We’ll see what happens down the line.”

Jacobs posted a whopping 340 carries, 1,653 yards, 12 touchdowns and 4.9 yards per carry last season. Despite that, he’s still receiving less compensation compared to the league’s top-paid RBs. Compared to Christian McCaffrey’s average annual salary, the offer of $10.1 million is roughly $6 million less.

“I’ve been in similar shoes in my time in Green Bay,” Adams added. “It’s not easy to push forward and make decisions when you don’t feel that true value from the organization when they don’t value you the way you see yourself.”