Josh Jacobs provides exciting perspective about his decision to join the Packers

Josh Jacobs played five seasons for the Raiders, one in Oakland and four in Las Vegas. The common theme in all those years was the inability to achieve collective results. Despite being an individually productive player, the running back has played only one playoff game in the NFL, a 26-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after the 2021 season.

The Green Bay Packers didn't achieve in this period what they ultimately wanted, but the team did have some success, with four playoff appearances in five years and three postseason wins — including one last season, the first with Jordan Love at quarterback.

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And that's what moves Jacobs at this point. The decision to leave the Raiders to sign with the Packers in free agency was obviously motivated by money, but his goal going into the 2024 season is to play big games.

"Normally I never set goals. I tend to be the person to take everything on a day-to-day basis. I work from a day-to-day basis, and the results of that will be what you see," Jacobs told "The Insiders" on NFL Network. "That would be the goal. But this year, I can honestly say, as I'm getting older, I'm playing longer, I have a real goal of legacy. That's a big thing. Wanting to play important games, play in the playoffs, make a deep run, and play in that game (Super Bowl) if we get there. That's big for me, I think that's the most important thing."

Jacobs comes in to replace Aaron Jones , who had been the Packers starting running back for basically half a decade. Beyond the on-field production, Jacobs knows Jones had a leadership role, and it will be something important to fill considering how young the Packers offense still is.

"Coming in, where I'm 26 and I'm one of the oldest guys on the team, I don't take that really lightly," Jacobs added. "Coming in and seeing these guys, especially these young receivers, on the cusp of being a player in this league and being a face and a household staple, and being able to guide them, teach them a little things about what I do or what I see to help them elevate their game to the next level. I think that's part of the reason why they brought me in."

New opportunities

Josh Jacobs was a productive player for the Raiders, but there was always a feeling of meat left on the bone. For example, he hasn't had a single receiving touchdown in the league. The ability to be a big part of the passing offense is one of the most exciting parts of what Jacobs has seen in Matt LaFleur's plans. And being around Jordan Love has the potential to make everything easier.

"I can catch the ball more, be able to run real routes," Jacobs mentioned. "Not just that, but trusting me enough to be able to pick up protections. It's so special when you've got a guy like Jordan Love back there, you can't really just load the box every play. You make defenses decide what they want to stop. That's going to be the biggest help for me this year."

Last year, despite Love being a first-time starter and the team having the youngest offense in football, the Packers finished the season fifth in offensive DVOA. Now going into year 2 of that offensive infrastructure, Jacobs sees the potential for this to be an elite unit.

"The sky is the limit in this offense. Obviously, having a special guy in Jordan Love, having a good offensive line, and some good receivers out there make it a lot easier for me," the running back pointed out. "But just being able to see the gameplan and the things they want me to do this year, the things they will allow me to do, I just think it's going to be a special year."

Back in March, Josh Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers. He will make $14.8 million this year and $8.2 million next year — that's the practically guaranteed part of the contract. Then, the Packers will have some sort of option years in 2026 ($11.5 million) and 2027 ($13.5 million). In 2024, Jacobs will count $5.3 million against the Packers' salary cap.

Related: Three reasons why Josh Jacobs can play at a higher level for the Packers