Former Alabama teammates Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney are set for a reunion of sorts with the Green Bay Packers.
According to multiple reports, the Packers agreed to contracts with Jacobs, a do-it-all running back who led the NFL in rushing in 2022, and McKinney, a playmaking safety whose four-year contract can be worth up to $68 million, ESPN reported.
Adding Jacobs led to Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst informing running back Aaron Jones he will be released, according to Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Green Bay owed Jones $12 million for the 2024 season.
Jacobs, 26, took a slight step back last season for the Las Vegas Raiders from a productive year in 2022, when he rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games, all starts, as he worked his way through a quadriceps injury.
One season earlier, Jacobs rushed for an NFL-best 1,653 yards and 12 TDs in 17 games. In five seasons with the Raiders, he rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 TDs in 73 games (72 starts) after he was a first-round draft pick in 2019 out of Alabama.
Jacobs and McKinney won the 2017 national championship with Alabama.
McKinney, 24, was a second-round pick of the New York Giants in 2020 and did not miss a defensive snap the entire 2023 season. He has nine career interceptions.
Jones, 29, played in a career-low 11 games last season because of injuries. He rushed for 656 yards on 142 carries with two touchdowns.
The Raiders did not place a franchise tag on Jacobs last month, although it was believed that Las Vegas had prioritized re-signing the 2022 NFL rushing champion.
The Raiders are expected to turn to Zamir White to lead their rushing attack next season. White rushed for 451 yards and one touchdown last season in 17 games, while starting the four games when Jacobs was out.
Jones joins Packers running back AJ Dillon in free agency.
Jones played in 97 games with Green Bay and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2020, gaining 5,940 yards on 1,177 carries with 45 touchdowns along with 272 receptions for 2,076 yards and 18 touchdowns.
–Field Level Media
