Josh Jacobs enters the 2026 season with a cloud hanging over him, but league evaluators still see a back who can matter in a big way for the Green Bay Packers.
The concern starts with availability. Jacobs was arrested in late May and booked in a Brown County, Wisconsin jail on five domestic abuse-related charges, including one felony count for strangulation and suffocation and four misdemeanors.
The Packers and the NFL are letting the legal process unfold, and the Brown County District Attorney said shortly after the arrest that more time was needed to investigate the case. No formal charges have been filed yet.
Even so, the NFL could still suspend Jacobs regardless of how the legal situation plays out.
There’s also the physical side of the equation. Jacobs is 28 and dealt with lingering ankle and knee injuries during the second half of the 2025 season. That age matters at running back, where wear and tear tends to catch up fast, and Jacobs has taken plenty of hits since the Oakland Raiders made him the No. 24 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Still, one anonymous NFL executive told Fowler that Jacobs remains a quality player.
"Still a really quality back but has probably slowed down slightly," an anonymous NFL executive told Fowler. "Can still hit singles and doubles but not a lot of home runs as far as explosive plays. Still really good between the tackles."
That assessment lines up with what Jacobs produced in 2025. He carried the ball 234 times for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and added 36 catches for 282 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Jacobs was a Pro Bowler and Offensive Player of the Year candidate for Green Bay in 2024, and he also has an All-Pro season on his résumé from his time with the Raiders in 2022. The question now is less about whether he has been good enough and more about how much longer he can keep doing it at that level.
For the Packers, getting another season like the one he just had would be a major win.
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