In his five NFL seasons, Josh Jacobs has been a Pro Bowler twice and the first-team All-Pro running back once. He led the NFL rushing in 2022. But the former Alabama ball-carrier has played in one playoff game.
After leaving the Las Vegas Raiders for the Green Bay Packers as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Jacobs is taking a long view on his career.
“I can honestly say that as I’m getting older and I’m playing longer, I have a real goal of legacy,” Jacobs said during an appearance on NFL Network on Tuesday night. “I think that’s a big thing -- wanting to play in important games, play in the playoffs, make a deep run and, you know, play in that game if we get there.
“That’s big for me. I think that’s the most important thing.”
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After working in the Packers’ offseason program, Jacobs foresees that starting this season.
“I honestly think the sky is the limit in this offense,” Jacobs said. “Obviously, with having a special guy in Jordan Love, you know, and having a good offensive line and some good receivers out there makes it a lot easier for me. But just to be able to see the game plan and things that they want me to do this year, the things that they’re allowing me to do, I just think it’s going to be a special year.”
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After three seasons as Aaron Rodgers’ backup, Love became Green Bay’s No. 1 quarterback last season. The Packers won six of their final eight regular-season games to make the playoffs, then defeated the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the first round of the NFC postseason before a 24-21 setback to the San Francisco 49ers ended Green Bay’s 2023 season.
“It’s just so special when you got a guy like Jordan Love back there,” Jacobs said, “and you can’t really just load the box every play, and you make defenses decide what they want to stop. I think that’s going to be the biggest help for me this year. …
“To me, just from what I’ve seen, he has all the traits and all the tools to be a superstar in this league. I think that as he keeps continuing to play and gets experience and becomes more confident in his abilities and what he can do, he’s going to be the next superstar in this league, for sure.”
Jacobs is scheduled to report to training camp with Green Bay’s other veterans on July 21. The Packers kick off their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 10 against the Cleveland Browns and open their regular-season slate on Sept. 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at@AMarkG1.