Former Las Vegas Raider Josh Jacobs was one of the top free-agent running backs on the market back in March, and before he signed with the Green Bay Packers, one team made a full-court press to land the 26-year-old.
The problem, however, was that team was the Kansas City Chiefs — the same team Jacobs spent the first five years of his career hating as a division rival in the AFC West, which essentially took them out of the running for his services.
“They were trying to get me hard,” Jacobs told Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “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 he ultimately signed a four-year, $48M deal with the Packers, Jacobs wanted to retire as a Raider.
The problem was the team didn’t feel the same, and Vegas made it clear to Jacobs it wouldn’t be offering him anywhere near the kind of money he’d get from other teams in free agency.
In fact, once the Packers made their offer to Jacobs, he gave the Raiders the opportunity to match. Once they declined, he said he would re-sign for less money than what the Packers offered, and they declined again.
“I really didn’t want to up and move,” Jacobs said. “But I could tell that [expletive] was over with.”
Now, after five years, 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns, Jacobs will suit up for a new team for the first time since he was drafted out of Alabama.
