Josh Jacobs Shares Biggest Packers, Raiders Difference

For the first five seasons of his NFL career, running back Josh Jacobs played for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. He found plenty of success there, but a lack of long-term contract talks led to him signing with the Green Bay Packers in free agency.

After failing to secure a long-term deal during the 2023 offseason, Josh Jacobs was able to do so this offseason. He agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers.

Given how the contract is structured, it is essentially a one-year deal worth about $13 million. It is a very team-friendly deal as the Packers could opt to keep him at yearly salary numbers below market value.

Josh Jacobs knows the risks to signing such a deal, as he may not be paid what he has earned. But, he was happy to join the Packers after spending time with the Raiders.

In a recent interview with Scott Thompson of Fox News Digital, he opened up about changing franchises in free agency. The continuity that the Packers have had over the last few seasons compared to the Raiders was a major selling point.

“I would say one of the main reasons was just the certainty of what I’m gonna get. There’s already a lot of structure, there’s already a lot of stuff in place.

Having another new head coach over there [in Las Vegas], my fourth head coach while I was there, I never felt like there was any stability. Just to be able to come into a place where you’re not trying to pick up the pieces, and you’re not trying to build it out and see what works for us. I think that’s the biggest difference,” Jacobs said.

This offseason, Antonio Pierce is taking over as the head coach of the Raiders after having the interim tag removed. Matt LaFleur has been head coach of the Packers since 2019 and has secured some long-term security with the team’s success.

That is something Josh Jacobs has been craving as a pro. Constant change has occurred with the Raiders, leading to an inability to grow anything long-term.

That has not been the case for the Packers. LaFleur was given a long leash, working with the youngest team in the NFL in 2023 and potentially again in 2024. At 26 years old with five seasons of NFL experience, Josh Jacobs is one of the elder statesmen on the team and will be relied upon as a source of leadership despite it being his first season with the franchise.

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