[Editor’s note: In the end, while there is a convincing argument to be made that Josh Jacobs should be No. 1 in our “20 Most Important Packers of 2025” countdown, he is not. Some of the reasons outlined below explain just how vital he is to the Packers’ success this season. In the end, though, even amid the NFL’s running back resurgence — of which Jacobs has been among the best examples — someone else will be atop the list. The guess here is that you’re smart enough to know who that’ll be — but be sure to read the final installment on Sunday anyway.]

GREEN BAY — Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Josh Jacobs’ blockbuster first season with the Green Bay Packers is this: The Pro Bowl running back thinks it should have been even better.

“I feel like I had a good year, but I feel like I still left a lot on the table,” Jacobs said during the team’s offseason program. “So for me, it’s just trying to come in and chase that No. 1 spot and raise a Super Bowl [trophy]. That’s the only thing that’s really on my mind.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. What might’ve been an even more fantastic season last year was on his mind a little bit as well. According to NFL research, Jacobs led all NFL players in rushing yards negated by penalties (94) and was tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns negated by penalties (three) during the 2024 season.

On top of that, Jacobs felt he squandered some big-play opportunities by allowing himself to be tackled when he should have beaten a single defender to create an explosive play.

“It was a few plays where I had some 1-on-1s where if I made a person miss or broke that tackle, it was the difference between a 20-yard gain and a 60-yard gain,” Jacobs said. “Little things like that, those make people elite. So that’s what I’m trying to work on.”

Jacobs’ longest run from scrimmage was 39 yards, and while he had seven runs of 20 or more yards last season, big plays were the difference between his season and NFL rushing king Saquon Barkley, who had 17 runs of 20 yards or more and seven runs of 40 yards or more for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jacobs still finished the season with 1,329 rushing yards, the sixth-most in NFL. But as he also was aware, Barkley had 1,328 yards before contact — one fewer than Jacobs’ total yardage — on his way to 2,005 total rushing yards, while more than half of Jacobs’ yardage (737) came after contact.

General manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur are hoping they’ve done something about that disparity, reconfiguring the offensive line by adding free-agent left guard Aaron Banks, shifting two-time Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins to center and opening up the left tackle spot to a competition between incumbent Rasheed Walker and 2024 first-round draft pick Jordan Morgan.

Improving the run-blocking group was a priority because the Packers ran the ball on 52.3% of their offensive plays last year — the third-highest percentage behind Philadelphia and Baltimore, both of whom have quarterbacks who run more frequently than the Packers’ Jordan Love.

That run percentage was also the highest since 2003, when Ahman Green set the franchise single-season rushing record with 1,883 yards on 355 attempts.

Asked if he can run the ball even more this season, Jacobs smiled and replied, “I’ll do whatever they need.”

While Love has certainly shown the ability to make all the required throws, having Jacobs in the backfield gives the quarterback an undeniable boost. And considering the Packers’ play-action passing game felt disjointed at times last year, more effectively marrying up those plays would benefit both the QB and Jacobs.

“I think we saw a lot of what Josh is about, and I think the more he can get the ball, [the better],” Love said. “He’s always proving people, not proving people wrong, but just showing us what he’s about on a daily basis.”

“We know what type of player Josh is. He can kind of do everything out there on the field, make guys miss, run past guys, run people over. He’s just a dawg. He’s got the right mindset, and I think the more you get him the ball, the more we’ll see.”

About our “Most Important Packers of 2025” Series:  When the Packers kick off their seventh training camp under head coach Matt LaFleur on July 23, they’ll do so with a host of players facing pivotal seasons. LaFleur clearly believes he has ample talent to be a Super Bowl contender — even if he didn’t want to say so as the offseason program came to a close — but turning that belief into reality will require many of those players to produce at higher levels than they have in the past. This series, which began in 2010 on ESPNWisconsin.com, examines each of those players and how the team’s success hinges on their contributions. The list is compiled with input from team observers, former players and NFL sources.

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