“For Which Team Will Josh Jacobs Take His First Snap in the 2024/25 NFL Regular Season?” is one of the major NFL questions on the Raiders star Josh Jacobs that is posted by the bookmaker Draft Kings. The Dallas Cowboys, who may choose to break ways with incumbent free agent Tony Pollard this offseason, could very well find themselves searching for a new running back, as they are included in the first four replies.
Draft Kings ranks the Cowboys as the third favorite if Jacobs decides to leave the Raiders, where he has been a player since being selected in the first round in 2019. The odds on Dallas signing Jacobs are plus-850, while the Chargers are plus-550. With a plus-650 line, the Texans are the only team that is ahead of the Cowboys.
Naturally, there’s still a chance that the Cowboys will just re-sign Pollard for a franchise-tag contract or a longer-term agreement at a lower salary the following season. Jacobs is the best running back available, but if they don’t, they should consider adding him because of his versatility. He can play as a receiver out of the backfield and break off long runs.
Nevertheless, Jacobs is coming off a poor year in 2023, much like Pollard with the Cowboys. In 2022, he had the most rushing yards in the NFL (1,658) and was named an All-Pro. However, in 2023, he finished 25th in the league with 805 yards.
That will undoubtedly lessen Jacobs’s worth this summer as a free agent. He waited out the entire season at training camp the previous year, receiving only a slight raise from the franchise tag the Raiders had placed on him before camp. Jacobs intended to hold out for a long-term contract, but last year he signed a $11.4 million one-year agreement.
Jacobs’ inability to play in the final four games of the season due to a recalcitrant quad ailment will not assist him this year. Zamir White, a second-year running back for the Raiders, outperformed him in his place, gaining 397 yards on average across those four games. This has raised doubts about whether the Raiders should sign Jacobs again, and the Cowboys will probably want to consider him if he decides to exercise his free agency.
In a time when even the best running backs are forced to accept drastically reduced contracts, it will be intriguing to watch what type of market develops for Jacobs and Pollard.
According to Spotrac, Jacobs has a projected market value of $10.6 million per year and is expected to earn a $42.4 million contract over the course of four seasons. That’s a big sum, and it’s certainly more than the Cowboys would want to commit to for as long as Jacobs.
