Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler describe running back Josh Jacobs the same way: The former Alabama standout “embodies” what they hope the Raiders will be.

But Saturday’s 31-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs could turn out to be Jacobs’ final appearance for the Silver and Black. He wrapped up the 2022 NFL rushing title but also reached the end of his four-year rookie contract.

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Jacobs said he’d prefer to keep playing for Las Vegas.

“Obviously, for me, it’s got to make sense,” Jacobs said on Monday. “But, I mean, this is obviously where I want to be. Coming in, I remember sitting down with (defensive end) Maxx (Crosby) and all these guys and talking about the Raiders organization and the culture and wanting to be part of the change. I still feel that way, so, hopefully, I’ll be back.”

Jacobs joined the Raiders as the 24th player picked in the 2019 NFL Draft. Like every first-round choice, Jacobs signed a four-year rookie contract that carried a team option for a fifth season. Las Vegas declined that option in April rather than committing to pay Jacobs $8.034 million in the 2023 season.

Ziegler made the decision on Jacobs’ fifth-year option after joining the Raiders on Jan. 31.

Jacobs ran for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns on 242 carries as a rookie. In his second season, Jacobs received Pro Bowl recognition as he ran for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns on 273 carries. But in 2021, Jacobs’ production dipped to 872 yards on 217 rushing attempts, although he scored nine touchdowns. While Jacobs’ rushing yardage was a career low, his receiving totals reached career highs with 348 yards on 54 receptions last season.

Jacobs rebounded in 2022 to run for a league-leading 1,653 yards. His 340 rushing attempts also yielded 12 touchdowns, and he caught 53 passes for 400 yards as he led the NFL with 2,053 yards from scrimmage.

RELATED: JOSH JACOBS WINS NFL RUSHING TITLE AFTER HIS ‘HARDEST GAME’

“I’m just very proud of Josh and what he’s done this year,” Ziegler said. “A lot of the first year is getting to know people, and getting to know Josh as a football player — his work ethic, his commitment to winning, his commitment to his own greatness — are things that you don’t know unless you spend time with people, so that was a really encouraging thing to see this year. And Josh embodies a lot of the qualities that we want to build this foundation on. He loves football, he’s dependable, he’s tough and he’s a really good football player. And he’s explosive, which is an important thing, too. So those are the types of players that we want to be Raiders and we want to build around.”

But because of Ziegler’s decision last offseason, Jacobs will become an unrestricted free agent on March 15 if the Raiders don’t sign him to an extension before then or use their franchise tag for 2023 on him. The franchise tag would extend the opportunity to sign Jacobs to an extension, but it would commit Las Vegas to an estimated $12.632 million salary for Jacobs next season if a deal doesn’t work out.

“I think I’ve stated my position on him numerous times, and it hasn’t changed, obviously,” McDaniels said on Monday. “To be the NFL rushing leader, that’s a great individual achievement. Again, a collective effort went into that, but, obviously, J.J.’s performance was a huge bright spot for us.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for him as a person and as a player. He kind of embodies all the things we want a Raider to be. We’ll look forward to that. Dave and I have talked about that. J.J. and I have had private discussions about that, those kind of things. I think all that will play out in due time. But we love him and would love to have him continue to be a Raider.”

Jacobs also used “embody” when talking about what he tried to bring to the team.

“Even in the rough times, I feel like that’s when you got to dig in deep and work even harder,” Jacobs said, “so for me, I just try to embody that. Coming in here with these guys and seeing the smile on their face or them uplifting and being encouraging, it just makes it easier, so I got the upmost respect for the coaches and the players.”

Although Las Vegas finished out of the playoffs with a 6-11 record and benched nine-year starting quarterback Derek Carr in the final two games to give former Auburn standout Jarrett Stidham his first starting opportunity, Jacobs thinks the Raiders have the ingredients to be a contender.

“It definitely has the right mindset, especially by the way we go about working and things like that,” Jacobs said. “Definitely the best working group I’ve been around since I’ve been in the NFL. It’s just about putting the little pieces together right now, and identifying what those little pieces is, identifying each player’s role and just trying to execute that to the fullest.”

Jacobs didn’t get extra sentimental about cleaning out his locker for perhaps the final time with the Raiders.

“I feel like I get this every year because this league is so crazy,” Jacobs said. “So many people come and go. It’s crazy because you grow relationships with people. You meet people’s families, and you spend time with them, and they become an extension of your family almost. When it’s time to leave and you not knowing, the uncertainty of if you’ll see them again or if you’re going to see them at the same capacity is definitely something you think about.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.