The Green Bay Packers made a major splash in free agency this offseason when they signed running back Josh Jacobs away from Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders. The 2022 NFL rushing leader had a down year in 2023, missing the final four games due to injury. He finished last season with 805 rushing yards and six touchdowns while averaging a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry.
Of course, Jacobs’ down year was not entirely his fault. The Raiders had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and the passing game, aside from Adams at wide receiver, was seriously lacking. In other words, he had to carry too big of a burden for a running back in today’s game.
Now that he is with the Packers, Jacobs can see himself having a much more balanced season. He sat down with The Insiders of NFL Network to talk about his upcoming season in Green Bay, his goals, and what he sees in quarterback Jordan Love.
Green Bay Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs Has Never Caught a Touchdown Pass
In his career, Jacobs has 197 receptions for 1,448 yards. However, he has yet to catch a single touchdown pass. He told The Insiders that he is looking forward to his upcoming roll in Green Bay, which may include more third down possessions and, therefore, more pass catching opportunities.
“Just to be able to come out and actually show that I can catch the ball more. Not just that but trusting me enough to be able to pick up protections. It’s just so special when you got a guy like Jordan Love back there, and you can’t really just load the box every play, and you make defenses decide what they want to stop. I think that’s going to be the biggest help for me this year.”
Former Packers running back Aaron Jones caught six touchdown passes over the last two seasons. In 2021, he had six touchdown receptions as well.
The Packers offense is going to be dangerous considering all the weapons they have at wide receiver. That group will become even more of a threat if Jacobs becomes the receiving back he believes he can be.
Josh Jacobs Says Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Is a Superstar
Jacobs was also highly complementary of his new quarterback. He told The Insiders:
“To me, just from what I’ve seen, he has all the traits and all the tools to be a superstar in this league. I think that as he keeps continuing to play and gets experience and becomes more confident in his abilities and what he can do, he’s going to be the next superstar in this league, for sure.”
Last season, Love had a 64.2% completion percentage, 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 96.1 passer rating. He was able to achieve those numbers despite getting off to an incredibly slow start to the season. Through the Packers’ first seven games, they were 2-5 and questions about Love’s future were swirling in the media.
However, he threw 21 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions and had a passer rating of 108.8 in Green Bay’s final 10 games.
If he builds off of that strong second half, Jacobs will be correct. Love will be the next superstar in the NFL.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
