A stunning report from the NFL’s legal tampering period: the Green Bay Packers are expected to sign former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Deals don’t become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
Jacobs, a first-round pick of the Raiders in 2019, has three career 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including an NFL-high 1,653 yards in 2022. He turned 26 years old in February and has 1,502 career touches since entering the NFL, including 1,305 carries.
The Packers will, in theory, team Jacobs with Aaron Jones, who is expected to return on a reduced cap number in 2024. Together, Jacobs and Jones could be an elite running back duo.
There will be plenty of touches to go around. Jones is entering his age 30 season and is coming off an injury-plagued 2023 season. And A.J. Dillon, the player whom Jacobs will replace, handled 200 or more touches in each of the last three seasons.
Get ready Green Bay, @iAM_JoshJacobs is coming 🧀 pic.twitter.com/1X2V3Ltyx3
— NFL (@NFL) March 11, 2024
In 2022, Jacobs was an All-Pro after turning 393 touches into an NFL-high 2,053 yards and 12 total touchdowns across 17 games. His numbers came down in 2023, with 270 touches creating 1,101 yards and six scores while playing in 13 games.
Jones finished the 2023 season with five straight games of 100 or more rushing yards. Jacobs averaged almost 100 rushing yards per game during his standout 2022 season. Together, Jones and Jacobs could give the Packers an elite rushing game to pair with ascending quarterback Jordan Love.