Former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is beginning a new phase of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers.
After leaving the Raiders in free agency, Josh Jacobs' decision to join the Packers had been somewhat unclear. However, during a recent appearance on the “Green Light With Chris Long” podcast, the former Raider explained his reasoning in detail.
Host Chris Long asked the newly acquired Packers running back, “Was it hard for you in the 4 or 5 year period, beginning of your career, to say, am I ever going to get out? Was that stressful?”
Las Vegas Raiders not caring about winning
“I told them, I'm like, ‘Man, coming from Alabama, I went to a championship every year I was there. It be like every year. I remember coming to the league and losing my first game and I was mad and not talking to nobody, and a vet comes up to me and [was] like, ‘This is the NFL. You're going to lose,'” said Jacobs.
“I'm like, ‘So, y'all cool with losing?' Like, it was so different. For me, it was so different. So, that was one thing,” he recalled to the hosts who laughed at the remark.
“And then, the most frustrating thing about it all I feel like, especially when you got like me, Tae [Davante Adams], and Maxx [Crosby], you got guys that come in every day and work hard, and you don't get the results.”
Significant struggles for the Raiders over the years
The statistics for the Raiders over the past two decades are troubling. The team hasn't secured an AFC West title since 2002, the same year they made it to Super Bowl XXXVII. That season also marked their last postseason victory, a win against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game.
Since 2003, the Las Vegas Raiders have struggled significantly, posting a 124-215 regular-season record and losing both of their playoff appearances in 2016 and 2021. They have endured 13 seasons with at least 10 losses and have had 13 different head coaches, with Antonio Pierce being the latest since 2003.
“And then it gets to the point where like, ‘OK, I'm working hard, and I'm doing every little detail, every little step, and I'm still not getting the results. So, I didn't have the answers. And that's the part that was the most frustrating is like, OK, you do everything that you're asked of, but you still don't get the result that you want or this or that.”
“And it's like you'll be close, but every year you're close, but it's not winning. So, that was a big thing for me, too. I'm like, ‘Man, y'all want me to come back on a discount and lose? I don't know how I feel about that,'” Josh Jacobs revealed.
Josh Jacobs' performance in Las Vegas
Former University of Alabama running back had a rollercoaster five-year stint with the Raiders. Selected as one of three first-round picks by the team in 2019, Jacobs rushed for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie season. He followed that with 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2020, earning a Pro Bowl nod. Although his performance dipped to 872 yards in his third season.
The five-year veteran bounced back in 2022, leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and totaling 2,053 yards from scrimmage (12 TDs). Despite this impressive performance, the Raiders chose not to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract. Instead, they placed the franchise tag on him, and Jacobs signed a one-year, $11.791 million restructured contract extension.
The 26-year-old running back concludes his time with the Raiders with a total of 6,993 yards from scrimmage and 46 touchdowns.
Jacobs didn't linger in free agency this offseason with the Green Bay Packers offering him a four-year contract worth $48 million. This move brings a sense of relief to Jacobs, who steps into a prominent role in the backfield alongside Aaron Jones.
It's a shift to an organization known that cares more about wins. It'll be fascinating to observe how Jacobs' overall stats evolve with the Packers under Matt LaFleur's coaching and alongside quarterback Jordan Love.
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