Josh Jacobs embodies "Carrying the G," battling through injury and prioritizing team success. His unwavering commitment proves his deep investment in the Green Bay Packers.
Josh Jacobs is an All-Pro running back when he's healthy. The Green Bay Packers are lucky to have him, and he's earned every bit of the four-year, $48 million contract the Packers gave him as a free agent back in March of 2024.
He was a huge free agent signing for general manager Brian Gutekunst. From Alabama, Jacobs was a first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders back in the 2019 NFL Draft. As the franchise moved from Oakland to Las Vegas and went through multiple coaching changes and ups and downs, he was one of the only consistent bright spots.
Jacobs rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in five seasons with the Raiders. In his first season with the Packers, 2024, he rushed 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's elite as they come when it comes to NFL running backs. He may not be at the Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley level, but he's right there.
He's also all-in on being part of the Green Bay Packers, and we know that for a few reasons.
1. Josh Jacobs gives his all for the Green Bay Packers
Anybody who has seen Jacobs play football knows that he's a tough runner. He gets downhill, churns his legs and is always falling forward. He's a killer in open space, but more than anything, he's a between the tackles, hard-nosed type player.
That's "old school". What else is "old school" in today's sports landscape is a player willing to give his all, no matter the cost.
We've seen Jacobs basically play on one leg for the last quarter of the season due to a knee injury he suffered in mid-November.
He was open about getting into fights with head coach Matt LaFleur because he wanted to play, while LaFleur wanted him to get rest.
"It's been a couple times since I've been here where we kind of clashed on if they was going to allow me to play or not, and every time I had a pretty good game," Jacobs had said, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "I think he's probably to the point where he's like, 'Man, I'm just going to trust you. If you say you can do it and you believe that you can do, then I'm going to let you go.'"
2. People around Jacobs know that he does a great job "Carrying The G".
"Carrying The G" is a term around Packer nation that refers to players representing the logo on their helmet well. Jacobs, more than just about anybody on the current roster, is all about that life.
His own coaches see it:
The players around him see it as well. Here's what Jordan Love said on "The Rich Eisen Show" last year:
“Josh is, I mean, he’s a phenomenal player. But I just think his mindset, he’s definitely one of those top dogs and one of the best running backs in the league,” Love said. “But just the way he runs the ball, he’s a guy who wants the ball in his hands every play and just has that mindset that he’s not going to let anybody bring him down. He’s trying to run guys over, make guys miss, and I really think he can do it all.”
Speaking of Love, Jacobs was clear this week that he and his teammates remember the hit their quarterback took Green Bay's last game against the Chicago Bears. When they meet this weekend in the wild card round of the playoffs, that will be on Jacobs' mind.
Talk about a good teammate and a great representation of Green Bay football.
3. Josh Jacobs has cut ties to Las Vegas
This is a small thing in the grand scheme of it all, but Jacobs recently sold his 5,500-square-foot property in Las Vegas for $4.7 million.
Yes, that's a nice payday, but he very well could have held on to that property to use during the offseason.
He's probably not going to buy the same time of mansion in Green Bay, but again, it's the little things that can point to mindset.
The fact that he sold a home that he had while in Vegas tells you that Jacobs has no intentions of going backwards or living in the past. He's all-in with the Packers.