The Packers are weighing their next move with the trade deadline closing in, but Josh Jacobs’ legal situation is hanging over the conversation.
Green Bay has until November 10 at 4:00 pm ET to make a deal, and the team is still sorting through its options while also preparing for a tough road matchup with the New England Patriots as it chases its sixth win of the season.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the Packers have already been active in their background work at running back and along the offensive line, but Jacobs remains the wild card.
“…the Packers have checked in on running backs (Josh Jacobs' situation remains a major question mark) as well as offensive linemen,” reported Graziano on ESPN.com.
Jacobs just returned to the field for Green Bay in a win over the Carolina Panthers after being removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt list. He made the most of the opportunity, scoring a touchdown in his season debut.
His placement on the exempt list came after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and property damage charges tied to an offseason arrest. The league is still investigating, and more discipline could still come down depending on what it finds, including a possible suspension. Any games Jacobs served on the exempt list would count toward that suspension.
On the market, the biggest running back name is Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor, with the Colts already beginning a trade deadline fire sale after a rough first half. How aggressively the Packers choose to pursue help at the position is still the big question.
In Other News...
Doc Rivers Gets Blunt About The Challenge Of Coaching Giannis
The Bucks have spent plenty of this season trying to steady themselves after the midyear coaching change that sent Adrian Griffin out and brought Doc Rivers in. Even with a strong 30-13 start already on the books, the transition put a spotlight on how much Milwaukee still revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP whose role has been central since the 2021 championship run and whose support helped smooth the move to Rivers after Griffin was dismissed.
Rivers recently talked on a podcast about the challenge of coaching Antetokounmpo, pointing to the way his playing style can complicate execution. It is the kind of honest assessment that tells you the Bucks are still working through the details of how to maximize one of the leagues most unique stars, even as the expectations in Milwaukee remain tied to contention and the pressure to get the fit right only grows. [Read more 🡒]
Doc Rivers Just Reopened A Bucks Giannis Wound Fans Havent Forgotten
Doc Rivers has a way of stirring up old Bucks conversations whenever he talks about his time with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his latest comments did exactly that. Rivers revisited what it was like coaching the two-time MVP in Milwaukee and touched on the trade speculation that hovered around the franchise during his tenure, a subject that still lands with force for a fan base that remembers how tense those months felt.
Rivers said Antetokounmpo wanted to be traded, but preferred the Bucks management to be the side that initiated it rather than asking out himself, a detail that only deepens the intrigue around how close things may have come to a breaking point. He also offered his coaching view of Giannis game and the areas he believed still needed work, leaving the broader question of what all of that meant for Milwaukees future hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Be Reaching A Breaking Point With Kyle Kuzma
The Bucks have been leaning harder into rookie forward Nate Ament lately, and the early returns have given the coaching staff something to think about. Ament has shown enough promise to keep earning more minutes, which matters for a team that has been searching for more reliable production as the rotation continues to take shape.
Taylor Jenkins has already shown he is willing to make tough calls when performance slips, including benching Ryan Rollins earlier this year. With Kyle Kuzmas offensive output trending down, Milwaukee could be approaching a point where the veterans role is reduced even further, especially if Jenkins continues to open the door for rookies like Ament and Brayden Burries to take on bigger responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]