Details of Josh Jacobs’ contract: Packers sign former NJ Josh Jacobs, who is bringing his skills to Green Bay, and shuffle the backfield.
After playing with the Raiders for the first five years of his career, Jacobs is allegedly close to signing a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers.
The 26-year-old just played in 13 games for Las Vegas last season due to a string of injuries. In the games he participated in, Jacobs continued to be productive, finishing with 805 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and 296 receiving yards in addition to 37 receptions.
For the past two seasons, when he has been available, Jacobs has been among the top running backs in the NFL. He will now try to create an impression with the Packers in his new uniform.
The contract specifics for Jacobs are provided here by Sporting News, so you’re covered.
Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network have reported that Jacobs has come to terms on a contract with the Packers. Pelissero subsequently revealed that the agreement is for $48 million spread over four years, though it’s unclear how much of that is guaranteed.
In 2023, the 26-year-old earned $10.1 million while playing with the Raiders under the franchise tag.
Jacobs, an Alabama product, was chosen by the Raiders with the 24th overall choice in the 2019 NFL Draft. He committed to the team for a rookie deal for $11.9 million over four years.
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Josh Jacobs’s statistics
Even though he isn’t as well-known as other elite running backs, Jacobs has produced more than most since being chosen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
After five seasons in the NFL, the 26-year-old has three seasons with 1,000 yards rushing under his belt. Despite having a difficult 2023 season due to injuries, he still managed 1,101 all-purpose yards in just 13 games. And those yards came against a poor Raiders offense that had three different quarterbacks and a head coaching change in the middle of the season.
In 2022, Jacobs was at full health and had an NFL running crown to prove it. With 12 touchdowns, Jacobs ran for 1,653 yards and a league-high 97.2 yards per game. In addition, he led the NFL with 2,053 all-purpose yards and 393 touches. For his best season to date, he was selected to the first team of the All-Pro team.
There’s no reason to think that 26-year-old Jacobs can’t contribute at the same level for the Packers in 2024.
The Year’s Games BringRush yards Y/C yards Rec. yards Total touchdowns 2019 13 2421,150~4.8~20~166~7 2020~15~273~1,065~3.9~33~238~12 2021~15~217~872~4~54~348~9 2022~17~340~1,653~4.9~53~400~12 2023~13~233~805~3.5~37~296~6
Packers’ depth chart for running backs
The anticipated depth chart for the Packers in 2024, with Jacobs joining the backfield, can be seen below.
Player Ranking 1Three Josh Jacobs, two Patrick TaylorsWilson, Emanuel
From Green Bay’s perspective, it’s an interesting move to add Jacobs. Aaron Jones was signed by the organization for one more season, but the two parties were unable to work out a new agreement before Jacobs signed, therefore the Packers ended up letting him go shortly after learning of the Jacobs deal.
Green Bay could have considered operating with the one-two punch of Jacobs and Jones, especially with A.J. Dillon hitting free agency after he had been Jones’ backup for the last four seasons. Instead, the Packers make things clear that Jacobs is RB1 going forward.
Patrick Taylor served as the third-string running back last year behind Jones and Dillon. With Green Bay electing to part ways with Jones, Taylor figures to compete with Emanuel Wilson for the No. 2 spot, unless the team signs another back.
Josh Jacobs fantasy outlook 2024
Jacobs disappointed in virtually every way last season after his breakout 2022, but the relatively young back was mired in a bad situation. He now goes to a much brighter offense where he should receive a similarly heavy workload. Make no mistake, Jacobs is unlikely to approach 340 carries as he did in ’22, but 270-plus touches like Aaron Jones had when he played every game in ’22 is well within reach if Jacobs stays healthy.
Green Bay leans toward the pass (11th-fewest rush attempts last year), but Jacobs will be utilized as a pass-catcher like Jones has been (59 catches in ’22, 30 catches in 11 games last year). All of that adds up to around 1,400 total yards and 8-10 TDs if he stays healthy, which will make him a low-end RB1 in half-PPR leagues. — Matt Lutovsky
