Josh Jacobs’ Hatred of the Kansas City Chiefs Prevented Him from Signing; Fans Love Him for it

For the first time in his NFL career former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs will be donning colors other than silver and black.

Jacobs himself says that former division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, wanted that first season away from the Raiders to be with them. Instead, Jacobs chose to join the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Jordan Love in an effort to make a deep playoff run in 2024.

Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs explained why he didn’t join the Kansas City Chiefs

With a sentiment that has faded from a lot of the major sports in the United States, Jacobs explained why he stayed away from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jacobs, a former Raider, bred a hatred for the Chiefs after facing the intradivisional rival twice a year since coming into the league as the No. 24 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Jacobs said in an article from The Athletic that the hatred he developed for the Chiefs was genuine and that he couldn’t just toss that aside.

“They were trying to get me hard,” he said. “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.”’

Jacobs also said that the Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach were pursuing him intensely.

The Super Bowl-winning franchise has won three out of the last five Super Bowls and has had no trouble doing so with star running back Isaiah Pacheco. A one-two punch featuring downhill, bruising runners like Pacheco and Jacobs would make it extremely hard to stop the Chiefs.

Not to mention, they have a quarterback who is widely considered the best quarterback in the league. While Jacobs had his own reasons for avoiding the Chiefs, he may have saved the rest of the NFL from an unstoppable super team.

Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs earned respect from fans for his competitive nature

In a watershed moment for American sports, one of the best basketball players in the NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, decided to leave the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors.

Durant and the Thunder were up big on the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, but the Warriors came back and sent the Thunder packing once again. Instead of gearing up and going at the Warriors again, Durant joined the Warriors and made the best team in the NBA unstoppable. Durant won his ring, but fans hold his actions against him to this day.

Many cite the moment as an era-defining move, representing a modern sports landscape where all of the players are friends and rivalries don’t mean anything.

Due to Durant and the many similar players and signings that followed, a competitive player who refuses to join the best team in an effort to chase a championship garners massive support from fans.

Fans appreciate a competitive nature and a desire to get better to beat the best, rather than joining the best. The admission of a “genuine hatred” for the Kansas City Chiefs has fans all over the NFL world praising Josh Jacobs.

Respect. He doesn’t go out the Kevin Durant way

— ♣️ (@FireyJaire) August 30, 2024

That’s an elite mindset ngl

— Jose Ramirez MVP Szn (@JRam4MVP) August 30, 2024

Josh Jacobs is f*****g awesome. He’s a true competitor.

— BAG 🎒 (@BagDegen) August 30, 2024

That’s a high character dude, the kind I want to call my teammate.

— Robert Augustitus 🛡️ (@Auggystyle1) August 30, 2024

Jacobs will have to fill the shoes of fan-favorite running back Aaron Jones, who is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Even though Jacobs had what he would consider a down year in 2023, he hasn’t had fewer rushing yards than Jones since 2020 when finished the season 39 yards behind him.

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