Jacobs: Raiders wanted me 'to come back on a discount and lose'
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs explained his motivation for leaving the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.
"You do everything that you were asked of, but you still don't get the result that you want. ... And every year you be close, but it's not winning," Jacobs said on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast Thursday. "That was a big thing for me, too, man. Y'all want me to come back on a discount and lose. I don't know how I feel about that."
Over his five seasons with the Raiders, Jacobs quickly climbed the franchise's record books. The 26-year-old authored an incredible 2022 campaign in which he topped the league with 1,653 rushing yards while adding 53 catches for 400 receiving yards on his way to being named a first-team All-Pro. Jacobs' production dipped last season in a contract year as he dealt with a quad injury that kept him off the field for the final four games of the campaign.
It was a whirlwind season for Las Vegas. Antonio Pierce was named the interim head coach after the Raiders dismissed Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler last November. Las Vegas posted a 5-4 mark under Pierce and removed the interim tag from his title in January.
The two-time Pro Bowler admitted that he considered remaining with the franchise for the opportunity to continue playing for Pierce after the coach previously tabbed Jacobs as the "heart of the team." But he said the situation was out of the coach's hands, especially since he never had a conversation with new Raiders general manager Tom Telesco.
"Man, look, I got every Raider record since I've been here, basically. If y'all don't have enough respect for me to sit me down and have a conversation, then we ain't got nothing to talk about," Jacobs said.
The former Alabama standout signed a four-year, $48-million contract with the Packers in March, which included a $12.5-million signing bonus.
With his days in a Raiders uniform behind him, Jacobs said he's eager to run behind Green Bay's offensive line and share the huddle with a promising receiving corps that made it to the divisional round a season ago. Jacobs added that sharing a backfield with quarterback Jordan Love also played a role in his free-agent decision.
"This is a really good team," Jacobs said. "That was the main thing when I watch film. You know Jordan, he's very special. I think he's going to be the next guy in this league from a quarterback standpoint. So I was excited to play with him."
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