Most players would jump at the chance to play with Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. That wasn’t the case, however, for Josh Jacobs, the former Raiders running back who was apparently pursued by the Chiefs in free agency before he signed with the Green Bay Packers.
So, why didn’t Jacobs want to play for the Chiefs? It stems from his time as a Raider, the Chiefs’ longtime rival dating back to the 1960s. Jacobs apparently couldn’t get past the idea of playing for his former employer’s rival.
“They were trying hard to get me,” Jacobs told 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.”
Instead of joining the Chiefs, Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers but only after he gave the Raiders an opportunity to match, which they declined to do so.
“I really didn’t want to up and move,” Jacobs said. “But I could tell that shit was over with.”
Jacobs’ decision was in stark contrast to what fellow running back Marcus Allen did back in 1993, when the longtime Raider signed with the Chiefs. During Allen’s five seasons in Kansas City, the Chiefs went 9-1 against the Raiders, with Allen often playing a key role in the Chiefs’ success in those games.
The Chiefs were not the only team that was spurned by Jacobs. The Giants apparently offered Jacobs a deal that was more lucrative than the one he signed with Green Bay. Jacobs, however, was turned off by the Big Apple’s taxes and lifestyle, among other things.
In Green Bay, Jacobs will look to help Jordan Love and Co. get to the next level after the Packers made a surprise run to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in 2023.
“There’s not a lot to do here,” Jacobs said of his new NFL home. “It forces everybody on the team to be tight-knit and kick it with each other. It all takes you back to football.”
