When “Hard Knocks” makes its season premiere on Aug. 6, what will be the biggest storyline at Raiders training camp?
Surely, the new bromance between Antonio Brown and Derek Carr will have the attention of the show’s cameras and microphones documenting the Raiders’ training camp. But a lot of the HBO show could focus on a first-round draft pick who might not make it to Napa for the start of camp.
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Running back Josh Jacobs, one of the team’s three first-round picks in April, is the only Raiders draft pick still unsigned and league sources say the negotiations have not been going well. There is a growing sentiment that Jacobs will not be at camp when rookies report on July 23. (The official start of camp — when the veterans report — is three days later.)
Rookie holdouts are rare in the NFL these days after the installment of a rookie wage scale, since contract values and signing bonuses are predetermined. But there is still wiggle room regarding the payment schedule of the signing bonus and whether salary guarantees will have offsets. The bonus issue is apparently the hangup between Jacobs and the Raiders.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was unavailable for comment.
The Raiders selected Jacobs 24th overall last April. The team’s two other first-round picks, defensive end Clelin Ferrell and safety Johnathan Abram, both signed on June 18.
Only six of the 32 NFL first-round picks remain unsigned, with Jacobs as the only player in the bottom half of the round who hasn’t put pen to paper. The 49ers’ Nick Bosa (No. 2 overall), the Jets’ Quinnen Williams (No. 3), Tampa Bay’s Devin White (No. 5), the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones (No. 6) and Carolina’s Brian Burns (No. 16) are the other unsigned first-round picks.
In 2016, Bosa’s brother, Joey, was the first rookie since 2013 who didn’t show up to training camp on time and ultimately missed 31 days before signing with the Chargers. The Chargers ultimately gave Bosa a faster bonus payment schedule than they gave other players.
Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, the No. 8 overall pick in 2018, missed two weeks of training camp over the issue of voidable guarantees for an ejection or suspension from a game.
Jacobs could be the three-down running back that Raiders coach Jon Gruden has said he’s wanted for some time. The former Alabama star definitely should get more carries this season than backups Jalen Richard, Doug Martin, DeAndre Washington and Chris Warren III. Jacobs spent some of his childhood homeless and sleeping in a car and has already been approached about a movie deal.
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“He’s physical, he’s dynamic,” Gruden said after the draft, “he’s a great story, indeed. Where this kid has come from. There is something inside of him that I didn’t go through as a young man, and I think he’s going to be a centerpiece at some point. I’m not going to put any pressure on him, he’s got a lot to learn. But we do have a good offensive line, we’ve got an experienced quarterback in our system now, we’ve got a couple of receivers that if you want to double them, perhaps this running back can do some damage. So we’re excited at this addition to our team.”
(Photo: Eric Risberg/AP)
