New Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs had zero interest in joining forces with a major rival.
When Jacobs and his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders, were not seeing eye to eye in 2023, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star tailback said that teams like the Kansas City Chiefs were sending signals to his agent about a possible partnership.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
However, Jacobs just didn’t want to leave the Raiders for a team with which he and Las Vegas have a clear rivalry, given the fact that both teams are in the same division.
Via Dan Pompei of The Athletic:
Early last offseason, Jacobs felt a cold shoulder from the Raiders. Others, meanwhile, offered warm embraces. Among the teams that told his agent they were interested in signing him were the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins, Giants, Packers and Texans. A most beguiling possibility was the Chiefs.
“They were trying to get me hard,” he said. “But there was no way I was going there. I feel like once you are rivals with somebody, you have a genuine hate for them. I couldn’t see myself in that color. And besides, I never wanted to be the guy that joined the dominant team. I want to be the guy that beats the dominant team.”
Instead, Jacobs took his talents to the NFC North division last March when he inked a four-year deal with the Packers worth $48 million. Jacobs is now the top running back option for Green Bay, which opens its 2024 season on Sep. 6 versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paolo.
