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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer
For the first time since 2017, the Green Bay Packers will have a new No. 1 running back.
Free agent Josh Jacobs has reached an agreement with the Packers, who have informed Aaron Jones of his release, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday.
Jacobs, 26, did not sign the $10,091,000 franchise tag that was placed on him last season and missed the Las Vegas Raiders' entire offseason program, training camp and preseason. He agreed to a restructured one-year contract worth $11.791 million, but ended his five-year career with career-lows in games played (13), rushing yards (805), yards per carry (3.5), and rushing touchdowns. I had the worst season of my career. (6), first down rush (34), yards from scrimmage (1,101).
Meanwhile, Jones averaged 5.0 yards per carry in 97 games with the Packers since being drafted by Green Bay in 2017. Jones, 29, rushed for 5,940 yards and 63 total touchdowns (45 rushing, 18 receiving) in seven seasons with the NBA. ). He also caught 272 passes for 2,076 yards.
A little more than a month ago, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Jones would “absolutely” return to Green Bay.
That was probably before he knew he could get Jacobs.
There's always a chance Jones could return to the Packers if the market for the 29-year-old running back isn't to his liking.
A year ago, Jones took a $5 million pay cut and returned to the Packers in 2023 for a total of $11 million, including an $8.52 million signing bonus.
Jones was scheduled to earn up to $12 million this season, including salary ($11.1 million) and bonuses ($500,000 in offseason training and up to $400,000 in active games).
Last season, Jones had his least productive regular season since his rookie year (142 carries, 656 yards, two touchdowns), but he rushed for more than half of that in the final three games of the regular season. In just two playoff games, Jones scored three touchdowns on 39 carries for a total of 226 yards (5.8 yards per game).
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said after the season, “He certainly impacted the game, impacted our offense, impacted our team in the push late in the season.” “I don’t know if I would do it all without him, it’s all part of the process.
Jones is the first player in NFL history with over 5,000 rushing yards (5,940), over 45 rushing touchdowns (45), average of over 5.0 yards per carry (5.04), over 250 catches (272) and over 2,000 catches. He is the only player to record this. Recorded receiving yards (2,076) and 15 or more touchdown catches (18) in his first seven seasons in the league.
“When he came out this year, he was a big difference-maker,” Gutekunst said earlier in the offseason. “The way we run our offense. The way we run him, he's made a big difference in the way we ran him when he was there and when he was healthy. For us, it's about finding a way to keep him there and keep him there. I think he's healthy. He's not only on the field, but you know, you've all been here, he's a very influential leader in our locker room. He is truly a key player on our team. It's certainly an expectation, an expectation that he will be. I'll come again. ”
Now, the young 26-year-old Jacobs will be the centerpiece of the Packers' running game, but the Packers could also lose backup AJ Dillon to free agency.
Jacobs, who is 5-foot-10 and weighs 223 pounds, missed the Raiders' last four games with a quad injury. The -2 yards on nine carries against Buffalo in Week 2 marked the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that the reigning rushing champion recorded negative rushing yards in a single game.
This comes after he was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, when he led the NFL in rushing (1,653 yards) and yards from scrimmage (2,053).
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Jacobs is the third Raiders player to lead the league in rushing in his career, joining Marcus Allen (1985) and Clem Daniels (1963 AFL). He recorded the second most yards with 5,545 yards. Since 2019, he averaged 4.2 yards per carry, second only to Derrick Henry's 7,209 yards in the NFL.
Jacobs' 46 career rushing TDs are the second-most in the NFL since 2019, behind Henry's 68 rushing TDs. Jacobs' 6,993 scrimmage yards are the fourth-most in the NFL since 2019, behind Henry (8,295), Christian McCaffrey (7,454) and Tyreek Hill (7,173).
Jacobs has 197 career receptions but has yet to catch a TD pass.
ESPN's Paul Gutierrez contributed to this report.
