While many people are upset about the departure of beloved veteran running back Aaron Jones, the Packers are hopeful that new running back Josh Jacobs will quickly help fans forget about the departure of the former player. He has great talent. Packers Jacobs is also expected to fit in well as a presence in the locker room. He was a leader with the
and can fill the void left by Jones in that aspect. Additionally, he is familiar with some members of the staff and team, including popular special teams coach Rich Bisaccia. Raiders And he’s not intimidated by the cold, which should win over some Packer fans who are hesitant to accept him.
“As a running back,”
, “you enjoy playing in the cold because opponents don’t want to hit you. Then after a while, it starts to wear them down, making it a lot easier. If I were another player, I might hesitate, but as a running back, I love it.” said JacobsHowever, there are doubts about Jacobs' fit with the Packers. According to Sports Illustrated, the perspective is quite negative: Analyst
Gilberto Manzano of SI.com , in a post titled “2024 NFL Free Agency: 10 Most Likely Busts,” predicts that Jacobs will be one of those “busts” in Green Bay.Packers’ Jordan Love ‘Doesn’t Need a Workhorse Back’
The Packers surprised many by giving the former Raiders star a four-year, $48 million contract with $14 million guaranteed upfront. It’s a somewhat misleading deal because the Packers have the option to part ways after each season, meaning Jacobs has to prove himself every year.
This strategy might make sense for a running back playing alongside a mediocre quarterback like
Aidan O’Connell Gardner Minshew or . However, Manzano's concern is more about how Jacobs fits with Jordan Love and what should be a pass-focused Packers offense.“This move, however, doesn’t make sense from both a personnel and budgeting standpoint,” Manzano stated.
did not require a workhorse back. The team could have paired AJ Dillon, who signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract, with a rookie or another experienced running back without having to commit $14 million. The Packers are on the rise with Love and a few promising receivers. Now they need to figure out how to involve Jacobs significantly, possibly disrupting the chemistry from last season.
“Jordan Love Josh Jacobs Struggled in 2023
There's no denying that Jacobs is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He
led the league with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022, and also led the league with 87.2 yards per game. He was an All Pro and a Pro Bowler that year, with a career-high 4.9 yards per carry. The Packers would welcome that version of Jacobs. However, 2023 was a different story for Jacobs. The Raiders' offense struggled in the early part of the season under Josh McDaniels, and only slightly improved when McDaniels was replaced on October 31 by Antonio Pierce. After taking over, Pierce promised to consistently give Jacobs the ball, and his production increased, but his yards per attempt did not significantly improve.
Jacobs ended the year with his lowest career average of 3.5 yards per attempt. This number was 3.1 before Pierce and 3.9 after him, an improvement but not a complete transformation. It's possible that, even at the young age of 26, Jacobs has lost some of his speed.
If there is doubt about whether that’s true for Jacobs, the fact that he missed the final four games of the season with a quad injury and was substituted by second-year man
is a good starting point. White rushed for 397 yards in those four games, and averaged 4.7 yards per carry—with the same offense Jacobs had in front of him. Zamir White Saying Jacobs will fail for the Packers is severe. But it’s possible.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who signed a $48 million deal last week, is expected to be a ‘bust’ in Green Bay.
