Hated All-Pro Rival Claims He Spurned Chiefs in Free Agency
By Joe Summers
Former Raiders star RB Josh Jacobs is with the Packers now, but he claims that the Chiefs made a major effort to sign him in the offseason. Let Jacobs tell the story and he spurned Kansas City due to his passion for the rivalry and a desire to beat the best instead of join them.
Whether or not that's true depends on Jacobs' credibility, though it's fair to think Brett Veach at least gauged the 2022 First-Team All-Pro's interest and asking price. Chiefs fans wouldn't be happy to see the team spending money at running back with Isiah Pacheco already leading the backfield, but Jacobs' resume speaks for itself.
He eventually signed a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay. A skeptic might assume that's an asking price Kansas City would never meet and that's why Jacobs didn't join the champs. Either way, he's steadfast about his disdain for his old AFC West rival.
Josh Jacobs Claims He Rejected Chiefs in Free Agency
Former #Raiders RB Josh Jacobs on getting recruited by Chiefs in offseason: “They were trying to get me hard. 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." https://t.co/4sghFoOP4q
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) August 30, 2024
Speaking with The Athletic in a recent feature, Jacobs revealed that the Chiefs "were trying to get me hard. 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."
In a sense, Jacobs exited the rivalry on top after the Raiders beat the Chiefs 20-14 on Christmas Day last season. That was just his second win against Kansas City in 10 tries though, so it's understandable that he feels disgust when he thinks about the organization.
He's established himself as one of the NFL's premier running backs since being selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jacobs would have certainly given the Chiefs a more dynamic offense, yet it's fair to question whether or not Kansas City was ever interested in him at his price.
The Packers defeated the Chiefs in 2023 but the two teams won't play in the regular season this year. Perhaps they'll square off in the Super Bowl. If not, Jacobs will have to wait at least one more season before he squares off against the franchise he hates so much.
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