It was a disappointing season on the field for Josh Jacobs and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, and according to the star running back, it wasn't any easier in the locker room. The Raiders are expected to either release or trade quarterback Derek Carr before his $40.4 million guarantee kicks in next week, and Jacobs spoke about the tense locker room environment as the season progressed.
“It was definitely weird, man,” Jacobs said on Thursday’s episode of PFT Live. “Just like, you can kind of see the signs that something was going to happen. The season we were having — we lost that last game [to the Steelers]…We knew that our playoff hopes were over. So we already kind of knew that they were about to shake some stuff up because they didn’t have anything to lose at that point. But we didn’t know it was going to be like that.”
Carr spent the last nine years of his career with the Raiders; he was benched in December after the team was eliminated from postseason contention, which “reverberated into the locker room,” per Jacobs. The 24-year-old said the team rallied behind backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after the Carr and McDaniels fiasco.
“Stiddy stepped into that role and I saw Stiddy literally become from a guy that barely spoke to a guy that was vocal and being a leader,” Jacobs said. “I was just like OK, let’s ride with him.”
Jacobs explained that the issues with the Raiders ran deep, and the red flags began to show themselves as early as Week Nine's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team squandered a 20-10 halftime lead to lose 27-20 to the Jags.
“We blew it. And that’s when I kind of knew. Because I was like…clearly, we’re not figuring it out. Whatever it is we’re missing, we’re there, but we’re not there. That’s kind of when I was like, I don’t know how this season is about to go.”
Changes are on the horizon for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, and with Derek Carr gone imminently, one of the team's top priorities should be re-signing their star free agent in Josh Jacobs.
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