The Green Bay Packers struck gold during the 2024 offseason.
Signing safety Xavier McKinney and former rushing champion Josh Jacobs, the Packers added two foundational building blocks, on both sides of the football, and were rewarded handsomely for the investment.
McKinney became an All-Pro for the first time in his career, after signing a four-year $67 million contract last spring.
However, general manager Brian Gutekunst’s masterstroke might be Jacobs’ pact.
Packers’ Josh Jacobs Contract Among NFL’s Most Team-Friendly Deals
Before rushing for 1,329 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns last season, Jacobs put pen to paper on a four-year deal worth $48 million, but for Green Bay, the beauty is in the details.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano put together a list of the most team-friendly contracts at each position across the NFL, with Jacobs’ deal making the cut among running backs.
“Jacobs delivered,” Graziano writes for ESPN. “Rushing for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season in Green Bay. And if the Packers decided they wanted or needed to move on from him this offseason, they’d only have been out that $14.8 million. Of course, they aren’t doing that; he’s 27 years old and just had a huge season. So they’ll keep him this year and pay him another $8.2 million — $1.17 million in base salary, a $5.93 million roster bonus, a $600,000 workout bonus and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses as long as he plays all 17 games. (The Packers like to avoid future-year guarantees in veteran contracts.)
“If the Packers cut Jacobs after this season, they’d have paid him $23 million over two years — an average of $11.5 million per year, which ranks sixth among running backs. Totally reasonable, especially given the way he has performed. Unless the Packers reward Jacobs with an extension after his strong first season — the way the Eagles did with Barkley and the Ravens did with Henry — he’ll continue to be one of the best values in the league at his position. And if his play falls off, Green Bay can cut him without owing him any money.”
Jacobs became a focal point of the Packers’ offense in 2024, and showed no signs of slowing down.
But, thanks to the way Gutekunst and Green Bay structured his contract, even if Jacobs’ production dips in 2025, the organization can move on and turn the page to a younger back in 2026 without any significant long-term ramifications.
