Josh Jacobs has a decision to make

The Las Vegas Raiders begin the road to the 2023 season Monday when they open the offseason program.

The sessions are voluntary, but most players do attend. The question for the Las Vegas Raiders is will star running back Josh Jacobs be in attendance Monday?

That will only happen if Jacobs signs the franchise tag the team applied to him in March. It was reported Wednesday morning that New York Giants franchised-tagged running back Saquon Barkley will not sign his franchise tender before his team begins the offseason program Monday, meaning he won’t be there.

All franchised tagged players have until mid July to come to an agreement on a long-term deal. They can sign their franchise tags and then come to an agreement on an extension.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels has said multiple times the team would like to come to a deal with Jacobs, who won the NFL rushing title with 1,653 yards in 2022. So, whether he signs before Monday’s offseason program starts, may depend on how Jacobs’ feels about his chances for a long-term deal. If not, he may stay away for a bit like Barkley is reportedly planning.

If Jacobs, 25, doesn’t sign a long-term contract, he will play the season on the franchise tag. Then, next year, the process would begin over with another franchise tag (at a higher price), an extension or unrestricted free agency would all be on the table. The 2023 franchise tag for running backs is just over $10 million for the Raiders.

The offseason program starts Monday with conditioning and weight room work and then progresses to on-field work in May and in June. There is a mandatory minicamp in June. Jacobs won’t be attending until he signs the franchise tag. The only question is when that will occur?