Getty Former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
The Las Vegas Raiders attempted to re-sign running back Josh Jacobs this offseason but he decided to sign with the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Jacobs hasn’t said much on that matter but still doesn’t seem thrilled with the Raiders, especially the fan base.
A lot of star players like Jacobs will typically send out some sort of goodbye message to the team they are leaving but he decided against doing that for Las Vegas. Jacobs posted a cryptic message on X on May 3 about how he’s “good where I’m at,” which drew the ire of some Raiders fans.
One fan called Jacobs “salty,” which didn’t sit well with the running back.
“Salty how? Y’all the ones that bring the [EXPLETIVE] up everyday in my [EXPLETIVE] just move on,” Jacobs wrote.
Another fan questioned why Jacobs never sent a goodbye message to fans and explained why he didn’t.
“[EXPLETIVE] a fake [EXPELTIVE] goodbye. It ain’t no hate to the Raiders they made a business decision and so did I it’s simple move on,” he wrote.
Needless to say, Jacobs doesn’t appear to have an interest in staying on good terms with Raiders fans but considering he’s no longer a member of a team, it shouldn’t matter going forward.
Zamir White Named Big Winner From Draft
The Raiders haven’t made any big moves to replace Jacobs this offseason. He has been an important part of the team’s offense for the past five years but Zamir White played well while Jacobs was injured last season.
Considering the Raiders didn’t make a big signing at running back in free agency or use an early draft pick to address the position, it’s clear the team has confidence in White going forward. Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus listed White as one of the biggest winners of the draft.
“The Raiders spent the 44th overall pick on guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and didn’t take a running back,” Jahnke wrote in an April 29 column. “White was already a winner of free agency after the team didn’t re-sign Josh Jacobs and only added Alexander Mattison on a cheap one-year deal.
“The Raiders seemed like an ideal landing spot for one of the better running backs, but instead, Las Vegas didn’t pick a running back until Round 6 when they added Dylan Laube.”
Does Zamir White Have Starting RB Job Locked Down?
White doesn’t have serious competition for the starting running back spot as Laube and Ameer Abdullah are better as third-down running backs while Mattison makes more sense as a No. 2. Now, that doesn’t mean White is guaranteed to be the starter in 2024.
The Raiders could always dip their toes back into the free agency pool if the young running back doesn’t look prepared in training camp. However, he’s been working hard this offseason and should be ready for the bigger workload. The Raiders didn’t draft a quarterback early so the plan for the offense should be to run the ball a lot.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has coached a top-two rushing offense the last two seasons so White is going to have a major role this season.