Getty Davante Adams with Josh Jacobs.
Former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is officially a Green Bay Packers. He’s signed a four-year contract with the team and is moving on after five seasons with the Raiders.
Over his time in Las Vegas, Jacobs developed into one of the faces of the franchise and a team leader. Wide receiver Davante Adams has only been with the Raiders for two years but he quickly formed a strong relationship with Jacobs.
Adams took his time reacting to the news that the running back was joining his former team. In a March 15 Instagram story, Adams finally reacted to the news and said it’s going to “sting” losing the former rushing champion.
Davante Adams post on instagram. #RaiderNation
Jacobs made two Pro Bowls in his time with the Raiders and rushed for 5,545 yards, which is the third-most in franchise history. Had he been able to get a long-term deal in Las Vegas, he may have surpassed Marcus Allen’s 8,545 rushing yards for most ever. Jacobs won’t be easily replaceable as it’s clear he had a major impact on the locker room.
Josh Jacobs Praises Rich Bisaccia
Joining the Packers won’t be a complete culture shock for Josh Jacobs. He’s going to see some familiar faces, including former Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who is Green Bay’s special teams coordinator.
Jacobs credited Bisccia as a big reason why he signed with the Packers.
“Man, Coach Bisaccia, I’m not going to lie, he was one of the main reasons I wanted to come here, too, just knowing he was already here and dealing with him in the past,” Jacobs said during his March 15 media availability. “We’ve always had a tight relationship and that year he was head coach, we had a lot of real conversations. We sat down, we talked about life and everything. To be around him and that energy he has every day, I think it’s going to be fun.”
Though the Raiders decided against making Bisaccia the full-time head coach following the 2021 season, he clearly had a long-lasting impact on many players.
Josh Jacobs Wants to Catch Ball More
Early in his career, the Raiders didn’t utilize Josh Jacobs in the passing game much. He had 53 receptions combined in his first two seasons. He’s been more involved in catching the ball over the last three seasons with 144 combined receptions.
However, that still hasn’t been enough in Jacobs’ opinion. He said that he told the Packers that he’d like to be more involved in the passing offense.
“I was telling him I feel like I want to catch it a little bit more,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I didn’t get to show that as much as I would have liked, so that’s definitely something in the conversations we had. I know the schemes out here, they do a lot of outside-zone running. I think it just fits me, man. I can’t wait to get in and feel it out and see where I fit in but also try to leave my mark on it.”
Jacobs’ strength is as a rusher but he can make an impact as a receiver. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will be able to use Jacobs in a lot of ways.