Green Bay is the premiere destination for football. This isn't some fluff piece trying to recruit any free agent roaming the internet to come to Wisconsin, it is purely a matter of fact. Sure, it may be cold from November to March, sometimes April. The nightlife has its peaks and valleys, but there are fantastic restaurants and plenty of entertainment options.
People come from all over the world just to get a glimpse of Lambeau Field. I would know. Though my time there was brief, I was fortunate enough to have been an employee of the Green Bay Packers, working in the Hall of Fame museum and stadium tour desk.
In my few months working there during college, people would state this was one of their must-see attractions in their first visit to the United States. Not to mention people from within the country who traveled with their team throughout the season, or in the offseason to see the most storied franchise in all of football.
While this is a wonderful anecdote, and you likely have your own stories of Packers memories at our beloved home base, you may be wondering why this matters. It is a fair question. The answer is simply, players want to be here too.
Green Bay has had a tight salary cap for many years at the end of the Aaron Rodgers era. Now, two seasons removed, the Rodgers contract, and others, are off the books, giving the Packers breathing room with the approaching start of Free Agency and the NFL Draft.
Coming off another playoff appearance that fell short of hoisting the Lombardi trophy, the Packers have work that needs to be done. One player who has been very vocal in that camp is Josh Jacobs. During Super Bowl week, Josh Jacobs made multiple media appearances, often stating that the Packers have some areas to address, especially the receiver room.
While that may sound very negative, there is a lot of positivity to it too. Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, college and now professional teammates are intent on winning in Green Bay. Jacobs was interviewed by one of his former head coaches with the Raiders, Jon Gruden via his Barstool Sports podcast Gruden Goes Long.
You can watch the full video above, and while the whole thing is very interesting, there is one massive takeaway. Gruden asked Josh Jacobs what it means to be a Green Bay Packer, and Jacobs saying in part, “It’s definitely different, the history is crazy out there, the people are so friendly," before wrapping up with "it’s definitely elite.”
Some guys chase money and want the biggest contract they can. No one blames them for that. Other guys want to go somewhere to win. While it is debatable which team(s) give someone the best chance to win a Super Bowl on a yearly basis, Green Bay is in the short list of teams that are in the conversation. Further, it is a special player that wants to come to the Packers, and write the next chapter in Titletown history.
Josh Jacobs was a winner at a historic college, and now wants to be a winner at the most historic franchise in the NFL. Being part of an elite franchise, with great fans, and a chance to win is certainly one heck of a recruiting pitch. Now we just have to wait and see who will answer the call.