Josh Jacobs Bio
Joshua Cordell Jacobs (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. After five seasons in silver and black, Jacobs joined Green Bay in 2024 on a four-year deal.
A two-time 1,000-yard rusher early in his career and a 2022 NFL rushing champion, Jacobs has earned three Pro Bowl selections and a first-team All-Pro nod. He also won a College Football Playoff national championship with Alabama in 2017.
Early Life and Background
Joshua Cordell Jacobs grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended McLain High School, where he starred for the Titans. Over the course of his high school career, he piled up 5,372 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the most productive running backs in the state. His play drew attention from major college programs, and he ultimately committed to the University of Alabama.
Jacobs has spoken openly about experiencing homelessness during middle school. The challenges he faced during those years shaped his work ethic and perspective, and his story was later featured in a Kia commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIV. Jacobs is of Filipino descent through his paternal grandmother, a native of Angeles City, and he carries a portrait of her tattooed on his left hand. He also displays a Philippine flag on his helmet and an eight-rayed sun tattoo on his left biceps.
Path to American Football
Jacobs arrived at Alabama in 2016 as part of a talented running back room that included Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough. As a freshman, he split carries and still managed 85 rushes for 567 yards and four touchdowns. The following season, he totaled 284 yards on 46 carries, though it later emerged that he had played much of the year on a broken ankle.
His junior season brought his breakthrough moment. Jacobs was named MVP of the 2018 SEC Championship Game after rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns against the Georgia Bulldogs. He finished his Alabama career as a CFP national champion in 2017 and entered the 2019 NFL draft as one of the most decorated running back prospects in the class.
Josh Jacobs Career
Early Career (2019-2020)
The Oakland Raiders selected Jacobs in the first round with the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, a selection acquired from the Chicago Bears in the Khalil Mack trade. He signed his four-year rookie contract in July 2019 and made an immediate impact. In his debut on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, Jacobs rushed 23 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-16 victory.
By the eighth game of his rookie year, Jacobs had set the Raiders rookie rushing record, surpassing Marcus Allen’s mark. Despite missing three of the final four games with a shoulder injury and a skin infection, he finished 2019 with 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, earning PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team. In 2020, he added 1,065 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
Las Vegas Raiders Breakthrough (2021-2023)
Jacobs continued to produce for the franchise as it moved to Las Vegas, although a dip in yardage and a Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 kept the team on the sidelines in January. The Raiders declined his fifth-year option in April 2022, setting up a contract-year campaign that became the defining season of his career.
In 2022, Jacobs led the NFL with 340 carries, 1,653 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns. He became the first Raiders player since Marcus Allen in 1985 to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards and capped the year with first-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection. He also received the inaugural Jim Brown Award at NFL Honors in February 2023. After the Raiders placed the franchise tag on him in March 2023, Jacobs played on a one-year deal worth up to $12 million before a quad injury ended his season early.
Green Bay Packers Era (2024-Present)
On March 14, 2024, Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. He quickly delivered for his new team, rushing 32 times for 151 yards in a Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He added signature performances against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Detroit Lions, the latter of which featured his third game with three rushing touchdowns.
Jacobs finished the 2024 season with 301 carries for 1,329 rushing yards and a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns, plus 36 receptions for 342 yards and his first career receiving score. He was named to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games after the campaign. The Packers’ playoff run ended in the Wild Card Round with a 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, a game in which Jacobs posted 121 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown.
Driving Style and Strengths
Jacobs combines a compact, 5-foot-10 frame with surprising power, using low pad level and strong legs to break tackles and finish runs. He excels at reading second-level blocks and has steadily developed into a reliable receiver out of the backfield, a skill that has shown up in his career-high receiving yardage with the Packers. His vision between the tackles and his ability to deliver in short-yardage and goal-line situations have made him a focal point of Green Bay’s offense.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Jacobs scored an 86-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, finishing that contest with 303 scrimmage yards. He also set the Raiders rookie rushing record in 2019, became the franchise’s first 2,000-yard scrimmage back since 1985 in 2022, and earned the league’s first Jim Brown Award.
Josh Jacobs Career Wins
Josh Jacobs has built his résumé on consistent production rather than a deep postseason resume. He has three Pro Bowl selections, one first-team All-Pro honor, an NFL rushing title, and a CFP national championship. His career totals reflect a back who has cleared 1,000 rushing yards in three separate seasons.
NFL Regular Season Highlights
Jacobs opened his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, totaling 1,150 yards in 2019 and 1,065 yards in 2020. His 2022 campaign remains his signature year, when he led the league with 1,653 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2024, his first season in Green Bay, he posted a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns.
His most recent regular-season highlight came in the 2024 finale, when he earned a Pro Bowl nod and helped the Packers return to the playoffs. While his career postseason stats are limited to two Wild Card appearances, his regular-season production has been among the steadiest at his position.
Other Wins and Performances
At the college level, Jacobs was part of Alabama’s CFP national championship team in 2017 and was named SEC Championship Game MVP in 2018. He also earned PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 303-yard performance against Seattle in 2022.
Josh Jacobs Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Jacobs is of Filipino descent through his paternal grandmother, who was a native of Angeles City. A portrait of her is tattooed on his left hand, and Jacobs regularly honors his heritage by wearing a Philippine-flag decal on his helmet. His younger brother, Isaiah Jacobs, plays running back for the UAB Blazers.
Personal Life
Jacobs experienced homelessness during middle school, an experience he has discussed publicly and that was reflected in a Kia commercial aired during Super Bowl LIV. He is a Christian and has credited his faith and family for helping him navigate the early hardships of his upbringing. He currently resides in the United States.
2025 Season Performance
Jacobs enters 2025 coming off a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns in 2024 and a Pro Bowl selection. With a full offseason to learn Matt LaFleur’s scheme, he is expected to remain the centerpiece of the Packers’ rushing attack and a key counterweight to quarterback Jordan Love.
Green Bay’s front office and coaching staff have built an offense that pairs Jacobs with a young, athletic offensive line and a deep receiving corps. The combination gave the Packers their first playoff appearance in recent memory in 2024 and sets up expectations of another postseason push in 2025.
For Jacobs personally, the 2025 season offers a chance to build on a career year and chase another rushing title. Coming off his first 15-touchdown season and still only 27 years old, he has the opportunity to further cement his place among the NFL’s elite running backs.