Throughout his off-the-field incident that resulted in a no-contest plea to misdemeanor battery, the Packers remained steadfast in their support of running back Josh Jacobs.
That could now change.
The Packers’ continued presence as one of the teams that expressed some interest in the trade for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor suggests they have at least considered the possibility of trading Jacobs for Taylor.
Recent developments don’t help Jacobs’ cause.
Beyond the handcuff celebration Jacobs tried to say It wasn’t a handcuff party (but this video of the full celebration suggests it was a handcuff party), Friday’s release of police records indicating that at least three other women accusing Jacobs of domestic violence could shake the team’s apparent determination to keep him.
Add in the fact that Jacobs is averaging 2.3 yards per carry in his two games following a six-game stint on paid leave — including 1.9 yards per carry against the league’s worst run defense heading into Thursday night’s game — and it’s possible the Packers realize that Jacobs is no longer good enough to warrant stubbornly rotating the wagons.
Cutting Jacobs would raise the question of severance pay as to the balance of his $10.2 million salary, and it would short-circuit the team’s ability to seek partial reimbursement of the signing bonus money if/when he is ultimately suspended under the Personal Conduct Policy. For now, we will not go into the full extent of the intricacies of section 30 of the CBA; At a minimum, the Packers would have a potential case to strip him of his right to any severance pay.
Even if the Packers ultimately have to pay severance, it represents a sunk cost. The question is whether they want to keep him on the team, in light of recent developments.
Again, they have been linked in multiple reports from ESPNFL to a trade for Jonathan Taylor. This alone constitutes substantial evidence that they are considering a future without Jacobs which could begin sooner rather than later.
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