The 2026 offseason has not been good for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs. He is dealing with off-the-field questions, he is entering a massive year for contract purposes, and people around the league are viewing him as a diminished version of himself.
Jacobs is no longer a top-ten running back, according to a poll conducted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The poll consisted of league executives, coaches, and scouts’ rankings, so the list is deemed as worthy as many other league-wide nominations.
Entering the 2025 season, Jacobs ranked sixth on the list of top running backs. He was up one spot from the year prior. Entering the 2026 season, he is down over four spots and was not even included in the top ten.
Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs Falls Out of Top Ten Running Backs Entering the 2026 Season
GettyGreen Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs.
To be fair, Jacobs was the very first name listed when going through the honorable mentions. It can be assumed he would have ranked 11th and 13th at the lowest, as three backs were noted as honorable mentions.
One NFC Executive explained the drop as Jacobs not quite having the same top gear as he used to have.
“Still a really quality back but has probably slowed down slightly,” the execuitve 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.”
Jacobs is going to be 28 this year, and he has 1,840 career rushing attempts in the regular season. So, it makes sense that wear and tear and Father Time are starting to make their way towards Jacobs.
Jacobs posted 929 yards in 2025. That was the third-lowest mark of his career. This came after the 2024 season, where he had 1,329 yards, the second-best rate of his career.
The biggest difference came down to a lack of the ability to hit the big play. Jacobs posted 313 breakaway yards in 2024. That was a 22.2% rate. He was down to 206 yards the following year, and a 20.9% rate.
So, many across the league are seeing that and thinking that Jacobs is going to struggle to get back to his old ways.
Three Names Leave Top-10 Running Backs List
Jacobs was not the only name in the top ten a year prior to falling off the list the following season. Joe Mixon came out as the ninth-best running back after the 2024 season. However, he was never healthy for the 2025 season. After not playing a single snap and remaining unsigned right now, he is no longer in the discussion to be ranked.
Alvin Kamara also fell off the list. He was ranked tenth a year prior. However, his production saw a massive dip, and the New Orleans Saints signed Travis Etienne to replace him. Kamara might not suit up for the Saints this year. So, he fell off the list entirely as well.
The three names that stepped in over these three were DeVon Achane, Kenneth Walker, and Breece Hall.
For Jacobs, he was the highest-ranked running back last year to fall out of the top ten. The other two barely made it on, whereas Jacobs was all the way up to number six. However, the other two fell out of honorable mention or any discussion. Jacobs could crack the top ten as early as next year.
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