The Raiders have secured Josh Jacobs for the upcoming season with a one-year contract valued at a maximum of $12 million. However, the question now arises about how effective Jacobs can be early on in the season.
Due to his decision not to sign the $10.1 million franchise tag, Jacobs missed the entire offseason program and training camp. As a result, the Raiders cannot accurately assess his capabilities until they see him in action.
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels expressed his uncertainty, stating, “It’s difficult for me to make any judgments until I’ve had the chance to observe him. His fitness level and overall physical condition will undoubtedly play a role in his performance. Our goal is to get him back on the field and up to speed. We will do what is best for him, whether that means limiting his playing time early in the season or not. At this point, none of us can predict the outcome.”
In the previous season, Jacobs averaged 48 plays and 23 touches in 17 games. He led the league with 393 touches, 1,653 rushing yards, and 2,053 yards from scrimmage.
The Raiders no longer have to worry about Jacobs’ availability for the upcoming season.
“I have great admiration for him as a player and as a person, and I am thrilled that he will be rejoining us soon,” McDaniels expressed. “I am looking forward to integrating him into our team. There are some new faces he has yet to meet, and I know he is eager to do so as well. I am incredibly excited. He’s an exceptional football player who made a significant impact on our team last year and will continue to do so this year.”
Did The Raiders Price Themselves Out In 2024?
Jacobs finalized a new contract with the Raiders, signing a one-year deal worth $12 million. This amount surpasses the $10.1 million franchise tag that the Raiders had originally assigned to him during the offseason. With this increase in his base salary, if the Raiders were to utilize the franchise tag on Jacobs again in 2024, it would amount to nearly $14 million. As part of his new agreement, the running back is guaranteed either $26 million over the course of two years or the opportunity to explore free agency after the upcoming season.did the Raiders effectively price themselves out of the Josh Jacobs sweepstakes next year?
Will Missing Camp Mean A Higher Injury Risk
To examine the impact of missing training camps on a player’s likelihood of getting injured, I found a comprehensive analysis using a database from a decade ago of more than 50 players. It specifically focused on athletes who were absent from training camp for a minimum of 10 days due to contract disputes or injuries, spanning all the way back to the 1983 season.
Within this group, It discovered a total of 42 individual seasons where players had missed either a portion or the entirety of training camp. It’s important to note that some players had multiple seasons of missed training camps. Out of these 42 seasons, 11 resulted in significant injuries that caused the players to sit out several games throughout the season. It is worth mentioning that most of these injuries were severe enough to prematurely end the players’ seasons.
This analysis sheds light on the potential correlation between missing training camp and increased injury risk for players. By examining historical data, we can gain valuable insights into the importance of participating in training camp and the potential consequences of absence.
Higher Rate Of Injury!
Based on a thorough examination of team-by-team injuries during the 2012 season, it was determined that the average number of players placed on injured reserve per team was three. This statistic indicates that, on average, approximately three out of every 50 players experienced injuries severe enough to end their seasons prematurely.
Furthermore, it was observed that out of the 11 holdout injuries identified, at least eight of them resulted in players missing the remainder of the season. This ratio of season-ending injuries among holdout cases appears to be significantly higher than the overall average for the 2012 season.
Will missing Camp Slow Jacobs Down?
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the holdout seasons from 2011-2020 did not have a significant impact on players’ overall performance grades. Most players’ grades remained relatively stable, with only minor fluctuations of a few points up or down. However, a few players did experience notable declines in their PFF grades during their holdout seasons.
Melvin Gordon, Donald Penn, and Duane Brown were among those who saw significant dropoffs in their PFF grades. In the case of Duane Brown, his holdout lasted almost half the season before he was eventually traded, which likely contributed to the decline in his performance grade. For Gordon and Penn, both players had exceptional seasons prior to their holdouts and believed they deserved higher salaries. It is possible that their performances had peaked the year before and were not indicative of their future success.
While contract disputes and frustration with compensation may have been factors in their holdouts, other factors such as team dynamics, coaching changes, or personal circumstances could have also impacted their performances during the holdout seasons. Overall, while some players experienced significant drops in their PFF grades, the holdout seasons as a whole did not result in major fluctuations in player performance.
Jacobs Back Just In Time
Jacobs is poised to infuse the Raiders’ offense with a revitalizing boost to the Raider offense . Should White take a significant leap in his second year and the seasoned veterans perform up to par, the Raiders’ rushing assault has the potential to become truly lethal. Jacobs came back just in the nick of time seeing the ineffective play from the other Raider Running Backs. Will Jacobs be able to duplicate last season only time will tell but one thing is for sure this offseason proved beyond a shadow of a doubt Josh Jacobs will not be easy to replace and we have a much better team with him on the roster .
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