Raiders RB Josh Jacobs has been named a team captain by his teammates, head coach Josh McDaniels said Friday morning. Jacobs has played in every game in 2022, and his 1,402 rushing yards are already 252 yards clear of his career-high mark of 1,150, which he set as a rookie in 2019. Jacobs’ 1,748 scrimmage yards leads the NFL by a comfortable 198-yard margin with just four games to play.
“Through his leadership, his commitment, his effort, his unselfishness, his willingness to do whatever is asked to help the team win… Our captains mandated that Josh Jacobs join them,” McDaniels said.
Jacobs has undoubtedly been one of the Raiders’ best players on the field in 2022, and his selection as a team captain this late in the season is a testament to his work off the field as well.
General manager Dave Ziegler opted to not exercise Jacobs’ fifth-year option this past offseason, which would have paid Jacobs roughly $8 million in 2023 before officially becoming an unrestricted free agent. However, as Jacobs has emerged in 2022 as one of the league’s top running backs, his future with the team is now very much up in the air. Ziegler and McDaniels may have already tipped their hand in terms of their running back philosophy by not picking up his option, and they will now likely need to make an extremely strong offer in order to sign Jacobs long term.
By being selected as a captain, Josh Jacobs has yet another feather in his cap as he enters contract negotiations, on top of potentially finishing 2022 as the league’s most decorated running back.
Share This Article
Support independent news coverage by sharing on your platforms
