When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Josh Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, it was obvious that he was a special player from the first time that he took the field. His five-year stint with the team, which included a 2022 rushing title, put him in the conversation for one of the best running backs in the organization's history.
The relationship between the Raiders and Jacobs soured, however, in the latter years of his tenure due to contract disputes and coaching changes. Jacobs recently spoke with his former coach , Jon Gruden, on an episode of "Gruden Goes Long" about his struggles with the Raiders' organization.
"I've been through so much, like, in this league," said Jacobs when reflecting on his new contract with the Packers. "You know, whether it's from coaches, to GMs, or whatever. All of that type of stuff, dealing with the contract with the Raiders."
Jacobs' contract situation was a mess with Las Vegas after he led the league in rushing yards in 2022. The new regime, led by Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, refused to give the star running back a new contract and pay him fairly for his efforts.
As a result, he clashed with the front office quite a bit during next season with the Silver and Black. He reflected later in the episode, however, on just how good things were when Gruden was the team's head coach.
"I'm blessed to be able to say that I came into that type of situation," Jacobs said to Gruden about his Raiders teams. "I was hurt man, when you left. ... still love you, still one of my favorite coaches."
Ultimately, things did not work out between Jacobs and the team that drafted him. But it sounds like the Green Bay running back still looks back on portions of his Raiders tenure positively.
