Josh Jacobs appears to be following through with his reported threat of holding out of Raiders training camp.
The running back was spotted boarding a flight departing Las Vegas on Monday, the day before the Raiders are scheduled to report for camp, NFL Media reported.
Jacobs’ decision to leave the Las Vegas area falls exactly a week after he and the Raiders failed to come to terms on an extension agreement prior to the deadline for franchise-tagged players. In the lead up to and aftermath of the July 17 deadline, Jacobs reportedly indicated that he planned to skip Raiders camp if he wasn’t able to get a new deal.
In addition, Jacobs has told people close to him that he doesn’t have any plans to report to the Raiders anytime soon, NFL Media added in its report.
Even though Jacobs has taken further measures to possibly facilitate the end of his time with the Raiders, he thought he might have been close to getting a new contract. Jacobs was reportedly with teammate Maxx Crosby in the parking lot at the Raiders’ facility in the lead up to last Monday’s deadline to get ready to sign a possible deal.
Unlike most other players, Jacobs won’t be fined for missing training camp practices, which can carry up to $50,000 for each practice missed. Jacobs can still sign the $10.091 million fully-guaranteed tenure though as part of the franchise tag.
Jacobs is joined by New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as the only two players on the franchise tag that are expected to holdout of training camp.
The situations with Jacobs and Barkley have led to recent chatter about running back contract situations. Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler reportedly led a Zoom call with some of the league’s best players to discuss ways to better their contract situations on Saturday. Ekeler also dealt with a tense contract negotiation this offseason, as he sought a long-term deal before both sides agreed to rework his contract to let him be a free agent at season’s end.
In addition to Jacobs and Barkley, Tony Pollard was the only other player on the franchise tag to not agree to a deal prior to the July 17 deadline. However, Pollard signed his tender with the Dallas Cowboys and will likely report to camp.
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