The Green Bay Packers are heading into the offseason searching to open up cap space to make the needed improvements. According to OverTheCap, the Packers are projected to have negative cap space, sitting at more than $10.6 million over the limit.
These financial constraints put all options on the table, including the franchise considering a possible breakup with veteran rusher Josh Jacobs. It wouldn't be the first time the franchise has surprisingly parted ways with a playermaker, with Aaron Jones serving as a recent example.
Jacobs is coming off a solid season, offering 4.0 yards per carry while scoring 13 touchdowns and amassing 929 rushing yards. Still, a breakup wouldn't be all that shocking with ESPN's Rob Demovsky recently breaking down Jacobs' contract situation.
"The four-year, $48 million contract he signed as a free agent was always going to have to be reworked after two years because of the massive increase in his base salary. Though he doesn't have an offseason roster bonus, his base salaries are set to jump to $10.2 million this season and $12.2 million in 2027. After salary cap charges of $5.3 million and $11.3 million in his first two seasons, those increase to $14.6 million and $16.6 million the next two seasons."Rob Demovsky, ESPN
Demovsky is pointing out that Jacobs was always going to have his deal rebuilt, and now is the time to either work out the deal or part ways with it completely. While Green Bay fans are understandably a bit divided on what the correct move is, it does make sense to part ways with Jacobs a year too soon rather than reworking the deal only for the back to regress.
Josh Jacobs-Packers Divorce Must Be on the Table
Cutting Jacobs is a possibility based simply on Green Bay's cap situation, even if the running back options beyond him are limited. Green Bay doesn't hold its own first-round pick in the 2026 offseason due to the Micah Parsons trade, making finding a starting option far more difficult. Signing a starting option in free agency is likely to be costly, offsetting the whole reason behind a potential release.
Still, an offseason divorce might be too tempting to ignore. According to Spotrac, the Packers can become $8.2 million richer if they trade/cut Jacobs before June 1, and those savings will increase to $11.4 million with a split after that date.
With quarterback Jordan Love and the offensive mind of head coach Matt LaFleur, Green Bay can likely turn another RB into a stud like Jacobs at a fraction of the cost. That would allow general manager Brian Gutekunst to spread out those savings elsewhere, giving the Packers a chance to be even more competitive next season.
No question, Jacobs' future will be a hot topic this offseason, leaving time to tell if he's already played his last game in a Packers jersey.