Former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who now plays for the Green Bay Packers, revealed to The Athletic’s Dan Pompei that the Kansas City Chiefs told his agent this offseason that they were interested in signing him. But according to Jacobs, signing with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions wasn’t an option.
“They were trying to get me hard,” Jacobs said of the Chiefs in the article posted on August 29. “But there was no way I was going there. I feel like once you are rivals with somebody, you have a genuine hate for them. I couldn’t see myself in that color. And besides, I never wanted to be the guy that joined the dominant team. I want to be the guy that beats the dominant team.”
Though Jacobs was no longer a Raider this offseason, the hate toward an AFC West division rival was still flowing through his veins.
Jacobs, who was selected in the first round — 24th overall — by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, chose to sign with the Packers over the eight teams he told Pompei were interested in him. Green Bay gave him a four-year, $48 million deal, making him the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL based on the total value of his contract, according to Over The Cap.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach Explains Samaje Perine Signing
After shaving down their roster ahead of the roster cutdown deadline on August 28, the Chiefs signed free agent veteran RB Samaje Perine to the active roster. Perine, who is the brother of former Kansas City RB La’Mical Perine, joins a Chiefs backfield that includes Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Carson Steele.
Speaking to the media on August 29, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach explained the decision behind signing Perine, who they expect to fill the role on the offense that was previously held by Jerick McKinnon.
“We obviously have some guys that can run and catch but the proficiency in pass pro – I think one of the things that Samaje brings to the table is that he’s been one of the best in the NFL the last few years on third down in regards to targets and pass protections,” Veach explained. “He’s just a veteran player that fills that role and (we’re) certainly excited to bring him in and get him up and running. Hopefully, he’s up to speed quickly enough to be active on Thursday night.”
X Users Reacted to Chiefs Signing Samaje Perine
Users on X — formerly Twitter — reacted to the Chiefs signing Perine.
“Replacing McKinnon with Samaje Perine, plus adding Peyton Hendershot and Carson Steele, signals that the Chiefs are gonna go big and punch teams in the mouth if they try to take away the [Xavier] Worthy and Hollywood [Brown] deep shots,” Adam Best of Arrowhead Addict wrote.
“This might be Brett Veach’s best off-season tenure as Chiefs GM. He’s been on a heater from the beginning of Free agency, the draft, and now,” another person wrote.
“Couldn’t ask for a better compliment to Pacheco,” another person wrote. “I’ve loved the way Perine plays since watching him on the Bengals play the Chiefs. Tough back to bring down and good receiving back – ideal replacement for McKinnon.”
