The number that changed Josh Jacobs’ profile was 1,653.
That was his rushing total in 2022, the season he led the NFL on the ground and moved from productive starter to one of the league’s most discussed running backs. Long before that, though, Jacobs’ story began in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where football was only part of a much tougher childhood.
Born on February 11, 1998, Joshua Cordell Jacobs grew up in Tulsa and has spoken publicly about experiencing homelessness during part of his youth. His parents separated when he was young, and he was raised largely by his father. That background is well documented and became widely known during his rise to the NFL, but it matters here less as a slogan than as context: his path was not the polished, heavily recruited route many first-round picks take.
At McLain High School in Tulsa, Jacobs developed into a four-star prospect, but his recruitment was not especially smooth. He was not one of the earliest household names in his class, and some accounts have noted that wider attention followed once his highlights circulated online. He graduated in 2016, carrying both upside and a sense that he had arrived later than some of the blue-chip backs around him.
Alabama: waiting his turn, then breaking through
At Alabama, nothing came easily. The program was loaded, touches were competitive, and Jacobs had to carve out a role rather than walk into one.
He played for the Crimson Tide from 2016 through 2018, showing the traits that would later define him in the NFL: low-center power, balance through contact, and enough burst to turn a crease into a chunk gain. He was never just a straight-line grinder. Alabama used him as a runner, receiver and return option, and that versatility helped his draft stock.
His college résumé was stronger than his raw carry totals might suggest. Alabama won the College Football Playoff national title for the 2017 season, and Jacobs was named MVP of the 2018 SEC Championship Game after a standout performance against Georgia. In a crowded backfield, that kind of stage mattered. It showed he could deliver against elite competition and in high-pressure moments.
By the time he left school, he had become one of the more intriguing backs in the 2019 class. He was compact, physical and useful on all three downs, even if he had never been a college volume monster.
First-round start with the Raiders
The Raiders made him the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, then still based in Oakland at the time of the selection. He signed his rookie contract in July 2019 and stepped almost immediately into a major role.
Jacobs’ first season set the tone. He rushed for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games, made the PFWA All-Rookie Team, and gave the Raiders the kind of dependable lead back they had been missing. He ran with force, but not stiffness. Defenders bounced off him, and he consistently stole extra yards after contact.
The franchise moved to Las Vegas in 2020, and Jacobs remained central to the offense. He made the Pro Bowl that season after rushing for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns. The next two years were productive as well, though not always smooth for the team around him. He kept piling up touches, catches and hard-earned yards while the Raiders changed cities, coaches and offensive rhythms.
Then came the season that defined his first NFL chapter.
The 2022 season that changed everything
Jacobs was outstanding in 2022. He led the league with 1,653 rushing yards, added 12 rushing touchdowns, and finished with more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage. He was named first-team All-Pro, earned another Pro Bowl selection, won the Jim Brown Award and was recognized as FedEx Ground Player of the Year.
For the Raiders, it was a rare kind of rushing season. He became the first player in franchise history to lead the NFL in rushing since Marcus Allen, and he was the first Raider since Allen to top 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season. Against Seattle, he set the franchise single-game rushing record with 229 yards, a performance that captured his whole style in one afternoon: vision, contact balance, patience, then sudden acceleration into open field.
His playoff résumé with the Raiders was brief, but he did produce in their Wild Card loss following the 2021 season, finishing with 83 rushing yards and a touchdown while also contributing as a receiver. It was not a deep postseason run, but it fit the broader pattern of his time there. When healthy, he was the engine.
Across five seasons with the Raiders, from 2019 through 2023, Jacobs totaled 5,545 rushing yards, 46 rushing touchdowns, 197 receptions and 1,448 receiving yards. Those numbers made him one of the most productive backs in franchise history and one of the most heavily used runners of that stretch.
A new chapter in Green Bay
After the 2023 season, Jacobs left the Raiders and signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2024. The move paired a proven veteran back with one of the league’s younger offenses, and Green Bay brought him in to be more than a committee piece. He was signed to be the lead runner.
His first Packers season brought another Pro Bowl nod. He gave Green Bay what it wanted: volume, toughness and reliability in the red zone. He also continued to help in the passing game, something that has quietly been part of his value since Alabama.
As listed in the original profile, Jacobs totaled 2,258 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns across his first two seasons with the Packers, along with 72 receptions for 624 receiving yards. Those figures fit the larger shape of his career even if the season-by-season split is less important than the role itself. In Green Bay, he remained a high-usage back who could carry the offense for stretches without needing to come off the field on obvious passing downs.
He wore No. 8 with the Packers, a change from the No. 28 he wore with the Raiders.
What makes Josh Jacobs effective
Some running backs win with pure speed. Others survive on volume. Jacobs has long been more interesting than that.
At 5-foot-10 and around 220 pounds, he runs with a compact frame and unusual balance. First contact rarely ends the play. He can slide off glancing hits, lower his pads through traffic and keep his feet alive in tight spaces. His best runs often look crowded at the start and productive by the finish.
He is also a better receiver than his reputation sometimes suggests. Not a gadget player, not a wideout in a running back’s body, but a useful target who can catch checkdowns, screens and outlet throws and turn them into meaningful gains. That matters because it keeps him on the field and makes his workload more flexible.
By the end of the totals provided in the original biography, Jacobs had 7,803 rushing yards, 74 rushing touchdowns, 269 receptions and 2,072 receiving yards. Those numbers place him in the class of backs whose careers have been built on steady production rather than one-dimensional flash.
Life away from football
The most widely reported off-field detail in Jacobs’ life is still his childhood hardship. He has discussed that period publicly, and it became familiar to a national audience through a Kia commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIV. In that sense, his background has never been hidden or reduced to rumor; it is part of his own public story.
His rise also carried weight in Tulsa, where people who knew him before the NFL saw the distance between his starting point and where football took him. That kind of response is often part of athlete profiles, but in Jacobs’ case it is grounded in a very real and well-documented climb.
There is also a charitable note attached to one of his biggest honors. After he was named FedEx Ground Player of the Year for 2022, FedEx made a donation in his name to a Historically Black College or University, part of the award’s community component.
As for business matters, Jacobs has been linked in published reports to endorsement work with brands including Nike, Wilson, Kia and Panini, among others. Financial estimates about athlete wealth can vary widely by outlet, so any net worth figure should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed fact. The same goes for projected career earnings published by third-party sites.
FAQ
What team does Josh Jacobs play for?
Josh Jacobs plays for the Green Bay Packers.
Where is Josh Jacobs from?
He is from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
What college did Josh Jacobs attend?
He played college football at Alabama.
Was Josh Jacobs a first-round pick?
Yes. The Raiders selected him 24th overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
What is Josh Jacobs best NFL season?
His standout season was 2022, when he led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
What number does Josh Jacobs wear?
With the Packers, he has worn No. 8.
