No. 8 is enough for Raiders star running back
A new contract means a new number for Josh Jacobs.
The Raiders’ star running back rejoined the team this week after signing a one-year deal for up to $12 million, and he did so wearing a No. 8 jersey rather than the No. 28 he’s worn over his four-year Raiders career.
It’s actually a return to the number he wore at Alabama.
Jacobs wanted to make the switch last season until he learned the NFL was going to make him pay $3.5 million to do so.
“So I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to do that.’” Jacobs said.
The No. 8 goes much further back than his days at Alabama.
“It’s just the number I feel like it brings out something different in me. Even in college, I feel like I took that leap in that number,” Jacobs said. “So, I mean it’s going to be fun to see what I could do with it and just try to make it a staple.”
Jacobs remembers one year playing baseball in which he could not wear No. 8 and he felt, well, weird.
“I remember when I was in little league I got my jersey stolen, and I had like a 30 number and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know,” Jacobs said. “There’s just something about 8 that just makes me feel like a superhero for real.’”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.