After a successful five-year tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders, running back Josh Jacobs has signed a four-year contract with the Green Bay Packers.
Despite his personal achievements, including clinching the 2022 NFL rushing title, Jacobs chose to leave the Raiders, citing a culture of losing and lack of organizational stability as key factors in his decision.
Jacobs, who has been vocal about his experience with the Raiders, recently opened up about the stark contrast between his college career at Alabama and his time in the NFL.
“Coming from Alabama, I went to a championship every year I was there. I remember coming to the league and losing my first game, and I was mad and not talking to nobody,” Jacobs said.
“A vet came up to me and was like, ‘This is the NFL. You’re going to lose.’ I’m like, ‘So y’all cool with losing?’ It was so different.”
During his stint at Alabama, Jacobs enjoyed immense success, including a victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship following the 2017 season.
The winning mentality instilled by legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban made it extra-difficult for him to adjust to the Raiders’ culture.
The team only managed one winning season during his time there, a 10-7 finish under interim coach Rich Bisaccia that led to a playoff berth.
Jacobs voiced the frustration shared by many of his teammates, who worked tirelessly but often fell short of their goals.
“Then, the most frustrating thing about it all, you’ve got me, and Tae [Davante Adams] and Maxx [Crosby]. You’ve got guys who come in every day and work hard, and you don’t get the results,” he said.
“You’ll be close every year, but [we’re] not winning. You want me to come back on a discount and lose? I don’t know how I feel about that.”
Jones shared with FOX Digital the differences in cultures between the Raiders and Packers.
“I would say one of the main reasons was just the certainty of what I’m gonna get,” he explained. “There’s already a lot of structure, there’s already a lot of stuff in place. Having another new head coach over there [in Las Vegas], my fourth head coach while I was there, I never felt like there was any stability.”
The Packers, known for their organizational consistency, open training camp next week and will kick off the 2024 season with a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on September 6.
Meanwhile, the Raiders will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in Jim Harbaugh’s NFL return on September 8.
In fairness to the Raiders, it seems like their culture and stability has vastly improved in recent months.
The team is 100% behind new (permanent) head coach Antonio Pierce and All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby is as good of a leader as there is in the NFL. There’s not a single player in the league that plays harder than him.
However, Jacobs decided it was time to move on and he finds himself in a very solid situation in Green Bay.
What are your thoughts on Jacobs’ comments?
Do you think he was being too harsh on the Raiders? … Or is there truth to what he said?
In the bigger picture, what are your expectations for Jacobs and the two teams as a whole this season???