Running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney, who were teammates at Alabama for two seasons, signed contracts with the Green Bay Packers on Friday and are now NFL colleagues.
“We had a lot of fun there,” McKinney told reporters, “so plan on doing the same thing here.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Jacobs and McKinney became unrestricted free agents, with the running back moving to Green Bay after five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and the safety joining the Packers after four seasons with the New York Giants.
“I’m glad that we’re back on the same team, I can tell you that, because he’s a special back,” he remarked. “Someone I’m incredibly good friends with. He’s an excellent teammate. He’s a guy that plays hard and makes a lot of plays, so it’ll be good to get back on the field with him and practice against him.”
Jacobs came to Alabama one year before McKinney, and both players played three seasons for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama finished 27-2 while Jacobs and McKinney were teammates. In the 2017 CFP national championship game, the Tide defeated Georgia in overtime, 26-23. Alabama lost 44-16 to Clemson in the 2018 CFP national championship game.
“I remember his first spring baseball,” Jacobs recalled of McKinney. “He was relatively quiet at first. He was one of those people that you’d only see working. And then I saw him take on that leadership role, being the person and demanding more from the teammates, and so on. But my first impression of him was that I liked the way he came in. I admire folks who come in, put their heads down, and work to improve. And he was one of those men, so he certainly earned my respect.”
McKinney signed a four-year, $67 million contract, while Jacobs agreed to a four-year, $48 million agreement. According to the sports-financial website spotrac.com, the signing bonus is the sole guaranteed element of each contract. McKinney received a $23 million signing bonus, while Jacobs received a $12.5 million signing bonus.
The Packers want to have two Alabama alumni as regular starters for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 seasons, with the 2024 starters playing the same positions as the players from those years. In 22 games between 2014 and 2015, safety HaHa Clinton-Dix and running back Eddie Lacy started together.
Since 1986, only two Alabama players have started more than half of Green Bay’s games in a single season. Randy Scott started 16 games at linebacker in 1986, while Paul Ott Carruth started 12 at fullback.
Jacobs, the 2022 NFL rushing champion, was one of nine former Alabama running backs to carry the ball during the 2023 NFL season.
Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide coach who resigned in January after 17 seasons, has been even more successful in sending defensive backs to the NFL. During the 2023 season, sixteen former Alabama cornerbacks and safeties participated in the NFL, with ten intercepting at least one pass, including McKinney, who picked off three.
“He helped me in ways I can’t even explain,” McKinney said of Saban. “Just the discipline aspect of it. He taught me how to develop my craft, as I mentioned. Just witnessing how he conducted his company every day. I learnt a lot from him about how he approached meetings and practice, and that has lasted with me throughout my career.
“He’s definitely motivated me to be a lot better than I am now. I never become complacent. I am continuously aware of ways to improve my game. And that is something he has always taught me and has been with me since then.”
Jacobs and McKinney shared the same field as recently as November 5. That is when the Raiders defeated the Giants 30-6. Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two scores on 26 carries, while McKinney had 10 stops.
