Packers Not Considering RB Addition
Josh Jacobs was arrested Tuesday and booked on five charges before being released the next day. The player continues to deny the allegations as the District Attorney’s Office considers formal charges. Regardless of that outcome, Jacobs will still be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
[RELATED: Packers RB Josh Jacobs Arrested]
In other words, Jacobs’ status remains in doubt, even if he’s only forced to sit out a handful of games during the 2026 season. When asked about the matter yesterday, coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that “a lot’s going to happen between now and” the start of the season. Meanwhile, a league source told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.com that the Packers are not expected to pursue RB depth in the wake of the Jacobs news.
Jacobs has dominated the carries for the Packers over the past two seasons, and the team watched as primary backup Emanuel Wilson left for the Seahawks this offseason. That departure already left Green Bay with questionable depth behind their starter, and a potential Jacobs absence would only exasperate their issues.
Former RB3 Chris Brooks is the top candidate to soak up backup snaps for the Packers. The former UDFA has spent the past two years in Green Bay, where he’s compiled 449 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 87 touches. MarShawn Lloyd is also still around, although the former third-round pick has been limited to a single appearance through two professional seasons. The rest of the team’s depth consists of Pierre Strong, who has collected 692 offensive yards in stints with the Patriots and Browns, and former UDFAs Damien Martinez (2025) and Jaden Nixon (2026).
Even if the Packers do anticipate a Jacobs absence, the team would surely want to evaluate all of their in-house options before considering some reinforcement. Multiple executives cited a handful of potential targets when talking with La Canfora, including free agent Joe Mixon, Saints veteran Alvin Kamara, and Cardinals RB James Conner.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs Arrested
MAY 27: Jacobs will be released from jail on Wednesday, Schneidman reports. No formal charges have been filed yet, but that could change. In its official statement, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office announced: “After reviewing the available evidence in this case, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision. Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued.”
MAY 26: Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested today and booked on five charges, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The charges include battery/domestic abuse, criminal damage to property/domestic abuse, disorderly conduct/domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim. The strangulation charge is a felony, with the other four charges being misdemeanors. Jacobs has denied the allegations.
According to the release from the Hobart/Lawrence, Wisconsin police department (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), the arrest stems from a “disturbance complaint” involving Jacobs that took place on Saturday. Jacobs turned himself in today.
“Josh vehemently denies the allegations, and this matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public,” the player’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement (via Rapoport). “We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.”
The Packers also released a statement (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero):
“We are aware of the matter involving Josh Jacobs. As it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment.”
The NFL released a similar statement (via Pelissero):
“We are aware of the report and have been in contact with the club.”
Following a five-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career, Jacobs inked a four-year, $48MM contract with the Packers ahead of the 2024 season. Through his first two years in Green Bay, the veteran has compiled 2,882 yards from scrimmage and 30 total touchdowns.
From a football standpoint, Jacobs will be subject to the league’s personal conduct policy. After losing Emanuel Wilson in free agency, the team’s depth behind their RB1 currently consists of Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, and UDFA Jaden Nixon.
Chiefs Pursued Josh Jacobs In Free Agency; Giants Did Not Submit Offer
SEPTEMBER 3: Both Pompei and Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post have clarified that the Giants did not make an official offer to Jacobs. The team was one of many which was in on the veteran running back market, as evidenced by the Singletary deal. That update is notable given the financial details Jacobs mentioned, although expressions of interest and formal contract proposals are of course two different things. Jacobs’ Packers performance will remain a key storyline within the reshaped running back landscape in 2024.
AUGUST 29: Josh Jacobs‘ free agency featured several teams in on the former rushing champion. Half of the AFC West was interested, though that does not appear to include the Raiders.
After Jacobs said he did not meet with new Raiders GM Tom Telesco about re-signing, the sixth-year running back noted (via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei) he took the Packers’ four-year, $48MM offer back to his original team. The Raiders did not match, but Jacobs had said he would agree to stay for less than Green Bay’s offer if Las Vegas included incentives. Moving toward a setup with a much lower-cost backfield, the Raiders declined.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review: Green Bay Packers]
This effort came after a few teams reached out to Jacobs’ camp with interest. The Broncos, Cardinals, Giants and Texans were previously mentioned as suitors, with Pompei adding the Dolphins and Bears also expressed some degree of interest. But the former first-round pick said the Chiefs also expressed interest. Some old-school animosity, even regarding a rivalry that probably peaked in the 1960s and early ’70s, factored into Jacobs’ decision to not reciprocate that interest.
“They were trying to get me hard,” Jacobs said of the Chiefs. “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.”
It is unclear if the Chiefs made an offer on par with the Packers’, but Green Bay’s proposal included just $12.5MM guaranteed at signing. The Packers traditionally do not include second-year guarantees for non-quarterbacks, though they would owe Jacobs a $5.93MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. It represents a decent bet Jacobs is a Packer for at least two seasons, though the Chiefs’ pursuit is interesting given the makeup of their RB room.
Kansas City has starter Isiah Pacheco at seventh-round money for two more seasons, and the team re-signed Clyde Edwards-Helaire for just one year and $1.7MM. Kansas City did host J.K. Dobbins before the Edwards-Helaire recommitment, but the oft-injured ex-Raven agreed to a low-cost Chargers deal to reunite with Greg Roman. Kansas City has not spent much on running backs during the Andy Reid era. Reid coached Jamaal Charles for four seasons and signed off on a 2014 extension, but that only guaranteed the elusive RB $8.3MM. Charles’ more notable extension came back in 2010 under Scott Pioli.
The team’s Jacobs interest is an interesting “what if?” regarding Pacheco’s status, but the hard-charging runner having gained 1,765 rushing yards in two seasons certainly represents great value from the seventh round. Edwards-Helaire, rookie UDFA Carson Steele and the recently added Samaje Perine join the starter as the AFC West power aims for a threepeat.
Additionally, Jacobs indicated (via Pompei) the Giants offered around $3-$4MM more than the Packers. Though, this account does not specify if that means $3-$4MM more per year, in total or in guarantees. The Giants guaranteed Devin Singletary $9.5MM on a three-year, $16.5MM deal. Jacobs has been a better player during his career, and he committed to the Packers around two hours before the ex-Bills draftee joined the Giants.
The Giants were also willing to guarantee Saquon Barkley around $22MM via their 2023 extension offer. Big Blue memorably balked at another Barkley deal, but they appear to have been willing to go beyond where they went for Singletary to add Jacobs, who balked at New York due to taxes, the media market and MetLife Stadium’s turf.
The Giants and Raiders both let their standout backs play out seasons on the franchise tag; Jacobs said his 2023 negotiations broke trust with the Las Vegas regime. This went far enough Jacobs revealed to Pompei he was willing to report in late November in order to collect an accrued season, but the then-Dave Ziegler-led Raiders front office became the rare team to provide a raise for a tagged player. Jacobs signed a one-year, $11.8MM tender — north of the $10.1MM number attached to Barkley and Tony Pollard.
Jacobs, 26, did end up stumping for Antonio Pierce, but he does not appear to have been especially high on the Ziegler-Josh McDaniels regime, indicating “trust was missing” regarding he and the team going into last season. These comments do, however, come after the Alabama alum had said the slate was clean after he signed his franchise tender.
The Raiders, who were believed to be interested in re-signing Jacobs (just not at the rate other teams went to), have given backup Zamir White their starting job, with primary 2023 Vikings starter Alexander Mattison set as the backup.
Broncos, Cardinals, Giants, Texans Pursued RB Josh Jacobs
As the 2023 offseason foreshadowed, Josh Jacobs departed the Raiders in free agency. The former rushing champion inked a four-year, $48MM deal with the Packers this spring, a move he long contemplated. 
[RELATED: Raiders Did Not Discuss New Deal With Jacobs Prior To Departure]
When addressing his decision to sign in Green Bay, Jacobs noted (via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette) he turned down more lucrative offers from other interested parties. He added that roughly one dozen teams showed different levels of interest in the lead-in to free agency. Joining a contending team helped make Jacobs’ decision easier, though.
“I didn’t want to go to a team where I felt like I wanted to be in a rebuilding situation,” the 26-year-old said. “I didn’t want to go to a team where I felt like I couldn’t come in and immediately make an impact and be able to be one of the factors to get over the hump.”
Jacobs said his suitors included the Texans, Giants, Broncos and Cardinals. Those teams offered varying potential in terms of Super Bowl contention in the immediate future, and the former first-rounder noted he spent much of the 2023 campaign observing the Packers’ development on offense. Green Bay’s offer was $3-$4MM lower than ones made by other teams, he said, but familiarity was another factor working in the Packers’ favor in this situation.
Jacobs contacted Rich Bisaccia while exploring the possibility of a Green Bay deal. The latter served as special teams coordinator (and, briefly, interim head coach) of the Raiders before taking charge of the Packers’ special teams in 2022. Bisaccia, along with former Raiders teammate Keisean Nixon and ex-college teammate Xavier McKinney represent familiar faces Jacobs will be reuniting with on his new team. Given the Packers’ decision to move on from Aaron Jones, he will also face heavy expectations as the their undisputed lead back.
“I wanted to be a Raider,” Jacobs added. “Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to be with one team, finish my career with one team… So coming into that [2023] season, everything felt weird. I felt like I’m going to have this crazy year, and you don’t even want me here. So the writing was already on the wall. Obviously, I still tried to come in and put my best foot forward, but I knew it was coming toward that time.”
Jacobs was limited to 13 games last season, and he had career lows across the board. As expected, Vegas moved on with Zamir White as their lead back while adding veteran Alexander Mattison as a backup. That tandem will be much more cost-effective than a RB room led by Jacobs would have been, but Green Bay’s run to the NFC divisional round will lead to expectations of a strong 2024 performance. It will be interesting to see how he fares with his new team and whether or not his free agent decision proves to be a sound one.
Davante Adams Committed To Raiders, Discusses Aaron Rodgers Pairing
Things haven’t necessarily gone as planned for Davante Adams in Las Vegas. The wideout pushed his way out of Green Bay and landed with the Raiders and his college QB, Derek Carr. That QB/WR tandem only lasted one season, with the Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime shaking up the quarterback position ahead of the 2023 campaign.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review: Las Vegas Raiders]
Adams hinted at some frustration before the Raiders ditched that head coach/GM duo, but the receiver admitted that interim-turned-full-time head coach Antonio Pierce is a big reason why he’s content ahead of the 2024 season.
“I wouldn’t be feeling as good as I do now,” Adams said of Pierce’s promotion during an appearance on “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams” (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook). “That’s for sure. He’s the type of guy that I really enjoy speaking to, working with, so I basically tried to do everything that I could to make it to where the front office didn’t have any other choice.”
Pierce guided the Raiders to a 5-4 record after McDaniels was canned, a performance that helped earn him a promotion to the full-time gig. While there’s still uncertainty at the quarterback position, Adams is committed to the Raiders…and he’s denying inquiries from some of his former teammates. Specifically, Adams admitted that Aaron Rodgers has been “in that ear” since the quarterback moved to the Jets.
“It’s not as easy as — obviously we can get together and talk about the old times and potential of doing this and that, but like I said I’m a Raider, and he knows that,” Adams said. “Maybe in the next lifetime.”
Adams also said he’s heard from former teammate Josh Jacobs, who joined the wideout’s former squad in Green Bay this offseason.
“I told him you go ahead and hold it down,” Adams said. “I’m gonna hold it down over here. I don’t think I’ll be coming back over there. Never know what’s gonna happen. If they ship me off, there’s not much I can do about it, but I’m a Raider. So nobody got to worry about that.”
Despite the management changes, the Raiders quickly quieted trade chatter this offseason, with both Pierce and new GM Tom Telesco (along with owner Mark Davis) expressing interest in keeping Adams around long-term. The wideout is attached to massive $44MM cap hits in both 2025 and 2026, but the Raiders could get out of the deal next offseason with only a temporary dead cap hit of $15.7MM. While both sides are currently saying all the right things, Adams’ future in Las Vegas will still be worth watching over the next year.
Josh Jacobs: No Talks With Raiders GM Occurred Before Packers Deal
Differing reports came out of the Raiders’ effort (or lack thereof) to extend Josh Jacobs at the July 2023 franchise tag deadline. Multiple reports earlier this year indicated the Raiders made Jacobs an offer, the former rushing champion does not paint a picture of a notable effort on Las Vegas’ behalf to keep him.
The Packers gave Jacobs a four-year, $48MM deal, but the contract contains only $12.5MM (the running back’s signing bonus) guaranteed. Still, the Raiders’ offer was not believed to have approached where the Packers went for the five-year veteran. Jacobs also said he and new Raiders GM Tom Telesco did not speak before his Wisconsin departure.
“I never talked to the GM or none of that,” Jacobs said during an appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast (via Yardbarker). “It just was what it was. At the end of the day, I told them, ‘Look, I’ve got every Raider record since I’ve been here, basically.’ And I’m like, ‘If y’all don’t have enough respect in me to sit me down and have a conversation, then we don’t have anything to talk about.’ It’s that simple, really.”
Jacobs, 26, is now tied to a fourth front office boss, in Green Bay’s Brian Gutekunst. The Jon Gruden-Mike Mayock regime drafted him in 2019, and the accomplished RB’s first round of contract negotiations came with Dave Ziegler in charge. The Raiders may or may not have come close to a Jacobs extension last July. A report indicated a $12MM offer — one that compared favorably to the Giants’ 2023 Saquon Barkley proposal — surfaced, while another indicated the team was not close on terms with its franchise-tagged RB. Regardless, the sides split shortly after Telesco’s hire.
The Raiders’ Telesco move, which came weeks before Jacobs’ contract officially expired, did not lead to a strong effort to retain Jacobs. This came a year after Telesco did not show interest in an Austin Ekeler extension, despite the versatile back’s interest in a new deal. Though, the Raiders are believed to have considered the former Telesco Chargers find in free agency this year. Ekeler ended up in Washington on a two-year, $8.43MM deal.
The Raiders did not have Jacobs’ services for the season’s final month; the five-year starter finished the season on the shelf due to two contusions. Nagging injuries cropped up at several points for Jacobs, though he dominated behind a middling Raiders O-line — en route to becoming the first Raider rushing champion since Marcus Allen‘s 1985 MVP season — in a 17-game 2022 showing. The Packers are likely to roster Jacobs for at least two years, with signing bonus prorations surpassing $9MM from 2025-27 and the RB due a $5.93MM bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
Las Vegas will save some money at running back, being set to use two-year Jacobs backup Zamir White as its starter. Alexander Mattison, who signed a one-year deal worth $2MM, is expected to back up White. Jacobs is replacing Aaron Jones in Green Bay, but the Pack both re-signed AJ Dillon and used a third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd.
After three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Jacobs will attempt to prove himself alongside Jordan Love and Co. in the NFC. He leaves Las Vegas ranking third in career rushing yardage (5,545) and rushing TDs (46) as a Raider. His 1,653-yard 2022 season trails only Allen’s ’85 showing in team annals.
Latest On Josh Jacobs’ Role With Packers
While the Packers are set to have plenty of continuity on offense next season, the team will be welcoming in a new starting running back in Josh Jacobs. As Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journals writes, Jacobs was limited through the first few weeks of team workouts thanks to a hamstring injury. However, the veteran was able to recently participate in his first 11-on-11 drills of the offseason, and Jacobs believes he’s just about back to 100 percent health.
After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Raiders, Jacobs is trying to quickly get acclimated to his new environment in Green Bay. There’s the added pressure of replacing long-time RB Aaron Jones atop the depth chart, so the newest acquisition is hoping to hit the ground running.
“The guys on the team make it real easy from that standpoint. They’re like, ‘Man, we’ve played against you, we’ve watched you, we know what you can do, we know who you are,’” Jacobs said. “(But) for me, it’s big to be able to show and prove myself to the team. I think that’s important no matter what you’ve done in the past. I think it’s important for the guys to see that so they can respect it.
“That’s the only thing where I’m like, ‘I’m ready to go!’”
Jacobs established himself as one of the NFL’s prolific rushers during his time with the Raiders, but he saw an inconsistent role in the passing game. During his most productive seasons, Jacobs topped 50 receptions per season, but he’s coming off a 2023 campaign where he was limited to 37 catches. Pro Football Focus didn’t put that entirely on the Raiders’ QB play, as they graded Jacobs as a bottom-10 pass catcher at his position.
Still, as Wilde notes, Packer head coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, and running backs coach Ben Sirmans are hoping to get Jacobs more involved in the passing game than he was in Las Vegas.
“I think the biggest thing with him is he’s an explosive player,” Sirmans said. “Obviously, he’s big, he’s physical, he’ll be able to break tackles. He’ll be able to give us a lot of production in different ways than Aaron did.”
Packers HC Matt LaFleur Surprised By RB Moves
The Packers were one of the major players in the free agent RB carousel. The team couldn’t convince Aaron Jones to take a pay cut, leading to the veteran’s release. The Packers quickly scooped up former Raiders star Josh Jacobs as Jones’ replacement, completely revamping the top of their depth chart.
[RELATED: Packers Sign RB Josh Jacobs]
While it seemed likely that the Packers would approach Jones about a reduced salary, there weren’t many people who anticipated the Packers pivoting to a different star running back. That includes head coach Matt LaFleur, who admitted to reporters this week that he was caught “off guard” by the sudden moves.
“There were some other things in play, obviously with Aaron Jones, and I didn’t quite know how everything was going to go,” LaFleur said (via Jason Wilde of Madison.com). “It just happened really fast on that Monday. … It happened really fast, so I don’t know all the details of that. I’m not involved in those types of conversations. But we were super excited (to get Jacobs).”
Jacobs shouldn’t have any issues replacing Jones’ production. Following a 2022 campaign where he led the NFL with 2,053 yards from scrimmage in 17 games, Jacobs was limited to only 13 contests in 2024. Still, the 26-year-old managed to top 1,100 yards from scrimmage, although that was partly due to him garnering more than 20 touches per game. Jones followed up four-straight seasons of 1,000-yard production with 889 yards from scrimmage in 13 games this past season.
The team will also be counting on Jacobs to fill the leadership void left by Jones, although LaFleur told reporters that he’s challenged Jordan Love to step into a larger vocal role. Jones left the franchise with the third-most rushing yards in team history, and the head coach acknowledged that moving on from the veteran was “really tough.”
“[Jones has] always been team first,” LaFleur said (via Wilde). “He walks the walk, and he does everything. He’s just such a pro, [and] that’s always tough to replace.”
The Packers will have some continuity on their depth chart in AJ Dillon. The organization hit the former second-round running back with the rarely used four-year qualifying offer, locking the player into a one-year deal.
Raiders’ Josh Jacobs Offer Did Not Approach Packers’ Proposal
Perhaps the busiest day in terms of RB1 movement in NFL history sent Josh Jacobs to Green Bay. This came after multiple reports indicated Raiders interest in keeping their 2023 franchise player.
The Raiders did make Jacobs an offer, and The Athletic’s Vic Tafur indicates it was the second-best proposal the former rushing champion received this month (subscription required). But the Packers’ proposal, per Tafur, came in well north of where the Raiders were willing to go for their five-year starter. Jacobs is now set to replace Aaron Jones as Green Bay’s top back.
Las Vegas’ offer not being especially close to Green Bay’s is rather interesting given the structure of Jacobs’ Packers contract. Although the Pack gave Jacobs a four-year, $48MM deal — numbers that match where they went for Jones in 2021 — only $12.5MM of that is fully guaranteed. Jacobs is due a $5.93MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, making that a pivotal date for his prospects of playing a second Packers season. With the team moving on from a seven-year performer in Jones, it would stand to reason it wants Jacobs for at least two seasons.
Jacobs’ Packers defection brought an end to two years of negotiations. The team was reported to have made Jacobs a better offer than the Giants submitted to Saquon Barkley before last summer’s deadline for tagged players to sign extensions. Though, another report indicated the previous Raider regime did not make an aggressive pursuit to extend Jacobs.
The Giants were believed to have offered Barkley a deal in the neighborhood of $22MM guaranteed. While Barkley’s bet on himself paid off — in the form of an Eagles deal including $26MM guaranteed at signing — no other RB this offseason topped $14MM guaranteed at signing. D’Andre Swift‘s Bears deal included the $14MM number. After his 2022 rushing championship, Jacobs finished with just 805 rushing yards and produced the fifth-worst rushing yards over expected number (per Next Gen Stats). The 2019 first-round pick also missed the Raiders’ final four games due to multiple contusions.
The Raiders expressed interest in keeping Jacobs, who was among those who stumped for Antonio Pierce to land the full-time HC job. But they hired a new GM (Tom Telesco) who came to Las Vegas after refusing to extend Austin Ekeler‘s contract with the Chargers last year. Telesco showed interest in adding Ekeler to the Raiders’ backfield, but with it only taking a two-year, $8.43MM deal to send the dual-threat back to Washington, it is safe to assume Vegas’ Jacobs proposal came in higher.
The running back carousel did not send one of the recent starters to Nevada, potentially pointing to the Raiders addressing the position in the draft. For now, Jacobs fill-in Zamir White — a 2022 fourth-round pick — sits atop the depth chart.
Free Agency Notes: Giants, Vikings, Jets, Hawks, Huff, Commanders, Ekeler, Raiders, Dolphins, Jacobs, Rams
The Bryce Huff market did not reach the level of Jonathan Greenard‘s, and Danielle Hunter also scored a better guarantee compared to the Jets‘ contract-year breakout pass rusher. But the Eagles needed to give Huff a three-year, $51.1MM deal with $34MM guaranteed. That came about because, per Huff, the Commanders, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings joined the Jets in pursuing him. The Jets had expressed interest in keeping the former UDFA, who led the team in sacks last season, but their 2023 Will McDonald draft choice appeared to point Huff elsewhere.
Minnesota came in early with its Greenard signing (four years, $76MM, $38MM fully guaranteed), while Washington turned to one of Dan Quinn‘s ex-Cowboys charges — Dorance Armstrong — soon after. The Giants made a bigger splash hours later by trading for Brian Burns, in a deal that involved a second-rounder going to the Panthers and fifth-rounders being swapped, while the Seahawks devoted their funding to fortifying their interior D-line (via the Leonard Williams deal). Huff, 26, led the NFL in pressure rate last season but was not used as a full-time D-end. It should be expected the Eagles, who have Haason Reddick in trade rumors, will up Huff’s usage.
Here is the latest free agency fallout:
- As Lloyd Cushenberry and Andre James scored nice contracts, the center market has not seen Connor Williams come off the board. It should be a while on that front. Rehabbing an ACL tear, Williams is not expected to sign anywhere anytime soon, agent Drew Rosenahus said during a WSVP interview (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). Williams going down in Week 14 certainly has impacted his market. Pro Football Focus graded the two-year Dolphins blocker as a top-five center in each of his two Miami seasons. Ahead of his age-27 season, the ex-Cowboys draftee will probably need to show teams he is healthy or on track to full strength before a deal commences.
- The Raiders lost their starting running back in free agency, seeing Josh Jacobs join the Packers. Zamir White is tentatively in place as Las Vegas’ starter, but the now-Tom Telesco-run club did show interest in Austin Ekeler, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. Telesco was with the Chargers when they signed Ekeler as a UDFA and when they extended him, but the GM did not greenlight a second extension last year. That led to trade rumors and a small incentive package. Ekeler signed a two-year, $8.43MM Commanders deal, indicating (via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala) the NFC East team showed the most interest. Despite leading the NFL in TDs in 2021 and 2022, Ekeler received only $4.2MM fully guaranteed — ninth among FA backs this year.
- As for Jacobs, his guarantee fell well short of Saquon Barkley‘s and shy of the Bears’ commitment to D’Andre Swift. The Packers signed Jacobs to a four-year, $48MM deal, but Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes only the $12.5MM signing bonus is guaranteed (plus a $1.2MM 2024 salary). Beyond 2024, this is a pay-as-you-go deal. Jacobs is due a $5.93MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, creating a pivotal date for Green Bay’s backfield. The Packers are known for shying away from guarantees beyond Year 1, in most instances, but it is interesting to see the gap between guarantees Barkley could secure ($26MM) and Jacobs’ locked-in money.
- The gap between Xavier McKinney‘s Packers deal and the Rams‘ two-year Kamren Curl pact ended up wider than the aforementioned RBs. Curl agreed to a $9MM accord, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. Curl, 25, has two seasons to show he can command a more lucrative contract. But McKinney (four years, $68MM) showed how valuable an age-25 offseason can be for earning power, making the Curl contract look quite Rams-friendly.
- Jonnu Smith‘s two-year Dolphins deal came in at $8.4MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Miami will guarantee the former Tennessee, New England and Atlanta tight end $3.96MM. No guarantees are present beyond 2024, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Miami’s three-year Jordyn Brooks accord lands slightly lower than initially reported, with Wilson adding the ex-Seattle linebacker signed for $26.25MM. Brooks’ contract features $16MM guaranteed; just $9.5MM of that sum is guaranteed at signing.