The Las Vegas Raiders tried to sign Josh Jacobs this year, but he chose the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Jacobs doesn’t appear happy with the Raiders, especially the fans.
Normally, star players like Jacobs would say goodbye to the team they are leaving, but he didn't do that for Las Vegas. Jacobs posted a mysterious message on X on May 3 about how he's happy where he is, which made some Raiders fans angry.
One fan called Jacobs “salty,” and he didn't like that.
“Salty how? Y’all are the ones that bring up the [EXPLETIVE] every day in my [EXPLETIVE] – just move on,” wrote Jacobs.
Another fan asked why Jacobs never said goodbye to the fans and explained why he didn't.
“[EXPLETIVE] a fake [EXPLETIVE] goodbye. It's not hate to the Raiders, they made a business decision and so did I. It's simple – move on,” he wrote.
Jacobs doesn’t seem interested in staying on good terms with Raiders fans, but since he's not on the team anymore, it shouldn't matter going forward.
Zamir White is a big winner in the draft
The Raiders haven't made any big moves to replace Jacobs this year. He's been an important part of the team for the past five years but Zamir White performed well while Jacobs was injured last season.
The Raiders didn't make a big signing for a running back in free agency or use an early draft pick for that position, showing confidence in White going forward. Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus listed White as one of the draft's biggest winners.
“The Raiders used the 44th overall pick on guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and didn't pick a running back,” Jahnke said 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 a good 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.”
Is Zamir White set to be the starting RB?
White doesn’t have tough 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. However, it doesn't mean White is guaranteed to be the starter in 2024.
The Raiders could look for more running backs in free agency if the young running back isn't ready in training camp. However, he's been working hard this year and should be ready for a 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 led a top-two rushing offense for the past two years, so White will have a major role this season.
