Many players are experiencing their first Green Bay Packers training camp this week. One of those newcomers, running back Josh Jacobs, is new to Titletown, if not the NFL, after signing as a free agent following five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jacobs was the NFL rushing champion in 2022 with 1,653 yards and was the most exciting addition to Green Bay’s offense during the offseason. Yahoo’s Jori Epstein reports that watching a film session on Jordan Love sparked his interest in Green Bay.
When the Raiders prepared to play Green Bay in Week 5, Jacobs watched Love’s film from his 38-20 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 1. On one play, Love rolled to his left, then immediately turned back to his right and threw the ball across the field to Aaron Jones, who took it 50 yards to set up first-and-goal.
“I remember the play like it was yesterday,” Jacobs told Epstein. “He threw it on the numbers, fading away on one leg. It was on the money. Like a dart.”
When Green Bay contacted him earlier in the offseason, he said he thought back to this play, making Green Bay an attractive spot for him to land. Now Jacobs is in Green Bay and will be the main piece of a one-two punch in the backfield with AJ Dillon.
The ordeal says a lot about Jacobs’ character and attitude towards the game and the team. We live in an age where the top athletes at their positions primarily chase the highest-paid contract. That makes sense, given that everyone wants the best deal they can get. Still, Jacobs’ main focus was who he could play with.
His final contract with the Raiders was a one-year, $12 million. In the offseason, he signed a four-year, $48 million deal with Green Bay, which averages $12 million annually.
Jacobs’ contract ranks sixth among active running backs, the top being Christian McCaffrey, who makes $19 million annually. Also, Jacobs’ current contract matches the seasonal pay of his Raiders contract, so he is not making more money in Green Bay than he would be in Las Vegas.
It says a lot about his character, but that is not too surprising because he did come from a winning culture at the University of Alabama.
Money is probably not what is on his mind. Instead, it must be his desire to win and get involved in the passing game of an offense that brought him to Titletown.
Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders finished in the bottom 10 of the NFL in passing offense, averaging only 199 passing yards per game. Jacobs was not too involved in the team’s passing game. He only had 37 receptions for 296 yards and no scores.
Jacobs likes to get involved in his offense’s passing game, and he was heavily involved in that at Alabama.
The Packers frequently used Aaron Jones in the passing game of Matt LaFleur’s offense during Aaron Rodgers’ tenure, so Jacobs knows they will draw up plays in his favor. However, since Rodgers is now in New York and the Packers have Jordan Love, would the impact still be the same?
Based on the film he saw from last year’s opening win against Chicago and his decision to come to Green Bay, the answer is yes.
