Packers Signing Superstar Free Agent Running Back
The Green Bay Packers make the biggest splash of the free agency so far.
The Green Bay Packers were widely expected to acquire a running back in free agency. The consensus was that they would sign a rusher to complement Aaron Jones and help reduce his snap count in the regular season after AJ Dillon failed in that role last season.
However, no one was expecting them to sign one of the best running backs in the league.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Green Bay Packers are signing Josh Jacobs.
Packers News: Green Bay Signs Free Agent RB Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs, the 2022 rushing leader, had a down season in 2023 but was still arguably the best running back on the market with Saquon Barkley.
Before a quad injury ended his season prematurely, Jacobs had amassed 805 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. He added 37 catches and 296 yards to go with it to demonstrate his dual-threat as an offensive workhorse.
The Packers were not seen as a threat to sign Jacobs before the tampering period began. This comes as a stunner for the rest of the league, as the All-Pro rusher will add another dimension to the already potent Packers offense. At age 26, Jacobs also fits the timeline of the Packers’ core, making it a home-run acquisition for Green Bay.
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Newly added Vikings running back Aaron Jones offers cryptic response to report that Packers cut him in favor of Josh Jacobs because of his refusal to reduce pay: ‘Every story has 3 sides’
Aaron Jones’ messy exit from Green Bay continued Tuesday after he reportedly agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with the rival Minnesota Vikings.
Jones appeared to have a future with the Packers as recently as Monday but that quickly changed when the team reportedly agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Free-agent deals cannot become official until Wednesday afternoon, when the signing period begins.
With Jacobs on board, the Packers quickly cut Jones, who had been the team’s starter at running back for the better part of his seven NFL seasons.
ESPN later reported that the personnel moves sprang from Packers’ desire to see Jones take a pay cut, and when he refused, Green Bay reportedly focused its attention on Jacobs.
Jones responded to the report on X with a cryptic post: ‘Every story has 3 sides to it.’
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst previously told reporters that Jones would ‘absolutely’ be back in 2024. But with the veteran running back due to make $12 million in salary and bonuses, Green Bay was eager to see him take a pay reduction, according to ESPN.
Jones will now have at least two chances in 2024 to get revenge on the Packers, a divisional rival of the Vikings.
He played in just 11 games last year due to hamstring and knee issues, but did finish the year with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
In 2022, Jones ran for 1,121 yards in 17 games.
And among active running backs, he ranks sixth with 8,016 rushing yards.
