Getty Josh Jacobs
The Green Bay Packers have had an eventual offseason, particularly in free agency, but fans got a scare heading into the weekend with their newest running back in Josh Jacobs.
YouTube streamer and musical artist B. Lou appeared in a video with Jacobs, with the two getting involved in a dirt bike accident. In the video posted to X on March 21, Jacobs appears to be riding an ATV and pulling B. Lou behind him on a dirt bike.
The two are only able to go a few feet before who we presume to be B. Lou flips over and falls off the dirt bike.
B Lou & NFL Star Josh Jacobs dirt bike riding goes wrong.. 😭
Previous posts on X, including one from Dov Kleiman, suggested that Jacobs was the one on the dirt bike during the accident. However, Jacobs quickly took to X to shoot that down.
Idk why people think I fell on a bike I’m not that light skinned 😂
“Idk why people think I fell on a bike I’m not that light skinned,” Jacobs wrote on X on March 22.
Regardless, the video took the internet quickly by storm. It appears that neither Jacobs nor B. Lou suffered any serious injuries in the accident.
Josh Jacobs Is Green Bay’s New Featured Back
To say that it was a dramatic few days to start free agency for the Packers would be an understatement.
The Packers made one of the most surprising moves of the early period of free agency, signing Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract. It seemed like the signing would be to give the Packers a one-two punch in their backfield with Jacobs working alongside star running back Aaron Jones.
However, shortly after signing Jacobs, the Packers announced that they were releasing Jones, who was one of the all-time rushing leaders for the historic franchise.
Now, it’ll be up to Jacobs to carry the load for the Packers. The 26-year-old has spent his entire career with the Las Vegas Raiders after being drafted by them in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Although he’s had ups and downs in his NFL career, he’s already earned two Pro Bowl appearances and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022 after leading the league with 1,653 rushing yards.
While he had a disappointing 2023 season with just 805 rushing yards on only 3.5 yards per carry, Jacobs is hopeful that he can turn things around again and have another breakout season in 2024.
The Rest of Green Bay’s Backfield
With Jones now playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Jacobs won’t be the only running back who needs to step up for the Packers.
The Packers were able to bring back A.J. Dillon on a four-year player qualifying contract to keep him in Green Bay for at least one season. However, given the short-term deal with a negligible cap hit, Dillon isn’t even guaranteed a 53-man roster spot by the time the regular season comes around.
Instead, the Packers may choose to lean on undrafted rookie Emmanuel Wilson, who forced his way onto the roster last season after a breakout preseason campaign. The 24-year-old made the most of his 14 carries in the regular season, rushing for 6.1 yards per attempt, and could see an increased workload this season.
There’s also a chance the Packers bring in another running back in the 2024 NFL draft, but regardless of what happens, Jacobs will be expected to handle the bulk of the carries this season.