Josh Jacobs

Jacobs is of American descent with Filipino ancestry through his paternal grandmother, a native of Angeles City in the Philippines. He honors his heritage by playing with a Philippine flag decal on his helmet and carries a tattoo of the Philippine eight-rayed sun on his left biceps, as well as a portrait of his grandmother tattooed on his left hand.

His younger brother, Isaiah Jacobs, followed in his footsteps as a college football running back, playing for the UAB Blazers from 2020 to 2025. Jacobs is open about his Christian faith.

In May 2026, Jacobs was arrested in Brown County, Wisconsin, by the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department following an incident on May 23. He was booked on five domestic battery-related charges and was released the following day while prosecutors continued their investigation.

Jacobs grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended McLain High School. During his middle school years, he experienced periods of homelessness, a formative chapter in his life that he later addressed publicly when featured in a television commercial during Super Bowl LIV.

At McLain High School, Jacobs emerged as an explosive offensive talent playing under head coach Jarvis Payne. Despite missing time during his junior year due to injury, he finished his prep career with 5,372 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns. During his senior campaign alone, he posted 2,704 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns while averaging 15.1 yards per carry. He earned first-team All-State honors in Oklahoma's 4A classification and committed to the University of Alabama.

Jacobs joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2016, immediately earning playing time in a crowded backfield alongside Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough. In his freshman season, he rushed for 567 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. As a sophomore in 2017, he contributed 284 rushing yards and was part of Alabama's College Football Playoff national championship team, playing through most of the season on a broken ankle before undergoing corrective surgery afterward.

During his junior year in 2018, Jacobs became a central weapon across Alabama's offense and special teams. He rushed for 640 yards and a team-leading 11 touchdowns, caught 20 passes for 247 yards and three scores, and led the SEC with a 30.6-yard kickoff return average. Jacobs was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2018 SEC Championship Game after posting 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Georgia. Following the season, he declared for the NFL draft.

The Oakland Raiders selected Jacobs in the first round with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft, using a pick originally acquired from the Chicago Bears. Jacobs made an immediate impact, becoming the first rookie in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards. He finished his debut season with 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, earning PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year and a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team. In 2020, following the franchise's move to Las Vegas, he recorded 1,065 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

Jacobs delivered the most productive season of his career in 2022 after the Raiders declined his fifth-year contract option. He won the NFL rushing title with 1,653 rushing yards and added 12 rushing touchdowns, becoming the first player in franchise history to surpass 2,000 yards from scrimmage since Marcus Allen in 1985. His campaign was highlighted by a 229-yard rushing performance against the Seattle Seahawks that ended with an 86-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime. At the end of the year, Jacobs received first-team All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl selection, and the NFL's inaugural Jim Brown Award. After playing under the franchise tag on a one-year deal in 2023, he finished his Raiders tenure with 5,545 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns.

In March 2024, Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. In his debut season in Green Bay, he served as the focal point of the backfield, rushing for 1,329 yards and setting a career high with 15 rushing touchdowns. He also caught his first career regular-season receiving touchdown in a Week 7 victory over the Houston Texans. His strong performance earned him a selection to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.

Jacobs continued his role as Green Bay's primary running back through the 2025 season, where he recorded 939 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 234 carries, alongside 36 receptions for 282 yards and a receiving score.