Will the Packers Move On From Josh Jacobs This Offseason?

When Josh Jacobs broke off his best run of the season, a 40-yard touchdown in Denver, the Green Bay Packers were on top of the world.

Well into the second half, they had just taken a commanding 23-14 lead on the road against an AFC contender. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks trailed late, making a path to the top seed feel increasingly plausible. If that wasn’t enough, Jordan Love, who entered the day third in MVP odds, appeared to be having the red carpet rolled out for him after Drake Maye and the New England Patriots had blown a 24-10 lead to the Buffalo Bills during the early slate.

Then, Rome fell. The Broncos took the lead. Micah Parsons blew out his knee. Evan Williams, Zach Tom, and Christian Watson left with injuries. Trying to lead a comeback, Love and the offense were a mess. The protection was abysmal. Elsewhere in the conference, the Rams and Seahawks found a way to win. Suddenly, it was going to be a war for a third straight playoff appearance as the recently-added seventh seed.

It is a war the Packers have won, entirely by default -- they haven’t won a game since. Somehow, Green Bay strung together an even worse 45-minute stretch with an impossible collapse in Chicago, mirroring the 2014 NFC Championship game.

I highly doubt the NFL scriptwriters could conceive of a team with less momentum heading into January. The Packers came out of the gates with so much promise and so much excitement on both sides of the ball. The Parsons trade represented the first all-in push in recent memory from a traditionally conservative front office.

But it was go time in Year 3 under Love’s leadership. They won big games: a face-off between student and teacher in Pittsburgh, a Thanksgiving contest in Detroit, and the first round against Caleb Williams and the Bears. Now, in what’s more characteristic of an NFC South bottom-feeder than a playoff team, Green Bay is left questioning everything.

Jacobs has been dead silent since his 40-yard house call in Denver. Battling a knee injury, he rushed for 36 and three yards against Chicago and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively, with a goal-line fumble for good measure. Fresh off a career year that super-charged the offense and made him an instant fan and locker room favorite, we were all ready to forget how painless his contract would be to escape, and how it was very much designed to be.

The NFL is a cruel, fast-moving business. The division champion Philadelphia Eagles, less than a calendar year removed from a dominant Super Bowl victory, were booed mercilessly off the field on Black Friday. In a similar encapsulating moment of the “what have you done for me lately” nature of the league, the argument to cut Jacobs is suddenly quite enticing.

For starters, Emanuel Wilson, the third-year Fort Valley State product, has put on some weight and really developed into a powerful, punishing runner. The former heir-apparent and 2023 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd has had a cruel run with injuries that have rendered him a non-factor, allowing Wilson to fully claim the RB2 role. In doing so, he was able to compile 107 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 carries in the sole contest that Jacobs missed.

Meanwhile, Jacobs has yet to hit 100 yards this season. Factoring in the depth of the impending free agent running back class, which features Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne, Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle, and Javonte Williams, a running mate for or in front of Wilson wouldn’t be difficult or expensive to acquire.

On the other hand, I get the argument of giving Jacobs his $12 million for 2026 and making roster cuts elsewhere. He’s a respected veteran leader who executes LaFleur’s system well. Rashan Gary is making a lot more money, but he's devastatingly ineffective when he’s needed most. Barring a playoff resurgence, he has likely played his last game at Lambeau.

Frankly, there's a ton of blame to go around. The first-round picks are not moving the needle at all heading into the playoffs, and I’m not just talking about Gary – Matthew Golden and Jordan Morgan have been disasters, while Lukas Van Ness still looks raw.

By no means should Josh Jacobs, who has been gutting out a knee injury for almost the whole season at this point, be held responsible for this team’s collapse. However, when putting the puzzle together for next season, the sheer number of problems to address could open the door for a tough decision to be made in the backfield.