The Las Vegas Raiders have a couple of months to negotiate a new deal with star running back Josh Jacobs, who doesn't seem happy about his contract situation or the running back market.

After the Raiders hired coach Josh McDaniels, there were concerns that Josh Jacobs' workload would significantly decrease because of the way the New England Patriots deployed their running back by committee approach under McDaniels. Those concerns turned into a full-blown panic in the fantasy football community when the Raiders made the head-scratching decision to start Jacobs in last year's Hall of Fame game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But those concerns turned out to be overblown. After the Raiders declined his fifth-year option, Jacobs responded by rushing for a league-leading 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns (tied for second in the NFL) on 340 carries (4.9 YPC). He also led the league with 2,053 yards from scrimmage, adding 53 catches for 400 yards.

Jacobs was one of only a few bright spots from the Raiders' season, along with star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, franchise left tackle Kolton Miller, and star receiver Davante Adams, who finished third in the NFL with 1,516 receiving yards and a league-leading 14 receiving touchdowns in his first NFL season without Aaron Rodgers.

Jacobs didn't attend mandatory minicamp because he's not under contract. The former 2019 first round pick out of Alabama will make $10.091 million if/when he signs the franchise tag.

Jacobs said he would be willing to play on the franchise tag earlier this offseason but only if the Raiders “loaded” up at other positions through free agency and the draft.

“If you want me to come back as the hero, you better pay me like a hero,” Josh Jacobs told NBC Sports.

It wouldn't be surprising at all if Jacobs ends up signing the franchise tag before hitting the open market next spring. But as we've seen time and time again, top-tier running backs receive their best offers from their own team. Jacobs can still hold out or force a trade on the franchise tag, but he would prefer to stay in Las Vegas.

“This is where I want to be,” Jacobs told Tashan Reed of The Athletic earlier in the offseason. “I feel like I’ve left my mark on this organization. With the guys in the locker room—obviously, it’s going to be shaken up next year, but I feel like this is home. For me, this is where I want to be, but I’m not going to discredit myself trying to be here, either. So, it’s just got to make sense.”

Jacobs emphasized that his frustration with the organization has a lot more to do with losing games than getting the right contract. A star at Alabama, Jacobs was trying to recruit players at the Pro Bowl to bring their talents to Vegas, and he's been adamant about trying to bring a winning culture to the Raiders.

“I think that we got a great opportunity to (win),” Jacobs added. “Like I’ve been saying all last year, I feel like we were always so close. That really just comes with them getting the right people in there and getting some more guys on defense and getting some more guys up front. And obviously, now the quarterback situation. I think that plays a big part of what I want to do, too, if I come back or not. It just depends.”

The jury's out on exactly how Josh Jacobs feels about each of the Raiders' most notable offseason additions, which includes former 49ers and Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, ex-Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers, rookie second-round tight end Michael Mayer, and first-round edge rusher Tyree Wilson, as well as former Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane and ex-Eagles safety Marcus Epps, who both excel as run defenders but struggle in coverage.

But the Raiders should do everything possible to extend one of the NFL's elite workhorse running backs long-term while he's still clearly in his prime at the age of 25. The contract obviously has to make sense, but it's clear that changing the culture is the bigger issue to Jacobs. This is a star player, team leader, and one of the focal points of the offense. A four-year deal in the $10-12 million annual range makes sense for both sides.