Just Now: Green Bay Packers confirm signing of Another Historic player today to overcome…
The NFL’s free-agent running back market took some big turns on Monday, the first day of the league’s legal tampering period. And to the surprise of many, the Green Bay Packers were among the teams that got involved.
According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers are signing Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million deal. Per that report, the 26-year-old RB will get a $12.5 million signing bonus and earn a total of $14.8 million in the first year of the contract.
What did that mean for incumbent Packers star running back Aaron Jones? ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jones will be getting released, which the 29-year-old appeared to confirm himself via an Instagram post.
It’s an unexpected turn of events. Especially after Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said during a press conference in early February that Jones would “absolutely” be back with the team in 2024.
Plans change, though, and the Packers likely decided to pivot because they had a chance to land Jacobs. He’s three years younger than Jones, and it’s possible he’ll have a higher ceiling moving forward.
That’s why Green Bay is making the right decision to change up its backfield.
Jacobs has had fewer injury concerns than Jones, although he missed four games last season due to a quad ailment.
That contributed to a down season for Jacobs, who was also playing on a franchise tag after he was unable to work out a long-term deal with the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason.
Rumors swirled this offseason about a potential reunion between Jacobs and the Raiders. But clearly, those did not materialize on Monday.