Josh Jacobs, Raiders Did Not Agree To A Contract Extension, Will Jacobs Report To Training Camp?

The Las Vegas Raiders franchise-tagged running back Josh Jacobs for $10.09 million in March following a career year. Jacobs, who led the league with 1,653 rush yards in 2022, wanted a long-term contract this offseason and didn't want to play on the franchise tag. 

Jacobs, though, did not receive a new contract from the Raiders by Monday's 4 PM ET deadline. So, that means the All-Pro back will play on the franchise tag in 2023 if he chooses to suit up for Las Vegas. 

Will Jacobs report to training camp? What is his fantasy football outlook? Let's take a look. 

Will Josh Jacobs Report To Training Camp?

Veterans will have to report to Raiders training camp on Tuesday, July 25, and there's a good chance that Jacobs does not show up immediately. According to Paloma Villicana of Fox5 Las Vegas, the All-Pro running back will not show up to camp without a new deal and will hold out. 

Villicana reported that if Jacobs did not receive a new deal, which he didn't, he was going to sit out to begin training camp. The former Alabama running back surely deserved a multi-year contract after his 2022 season. He ran for 1,653 yards on 340 carries for 12 touchdowns and was named a first-team All-Pro.

If Jacobs holds out, he will join a decent-sized list of running backs that have held out since 2018. Le'Veon Bell did it in 2018, Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott in 2019, and Alvin Kamara most recently in 2020. Interestingly enough, only Kamara still has a job in the NFL -- at the time of this writing. 

Josh Jacobs Fantasy Football Outlook

If you're drafting within the next week in Best Ball leagues or other fantasy formats, Jacobs is a big-time risk. There's no way of knowing if the Raiders' running back will report to training camp and play in Week 1. If he does, he should be a great pick in the second round of fantasy drafts. 

Jacobs was a fantasy superstar last year and won many people their leagues in 2022. He finished as the RB3 in PPR leagues and the RB1 in non-PPR formats. The 25-year-old back averaged 19.25 PPR fantasy points and had four games above 30 PPR fantasy points. 

For fantasy managers that draft in late August, we should know more about Jacobs' availability in Week 1. If he continues to hold out and will miss multiple weeks during the regular season, he should be avoided in the early round of fantasy drafts in all formats. 

More Fantasy Football Analysis