Since being taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the then-Oakland Raiders with the 24th overall pick, running back Josh Jacobs has been an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.
As a rookie, the Alabama alum made an immediate impact, shattering the Raiders' rookie record for rushing yards, amassing 1,150 on 242 carries and scoring seven touchdowns. For reference, the previous mark belonged to Hall of Famer, 1985 NFL MVP, and Super Bowl champion Marcus Allen, who went for 697 yards in 1982.
Granted, that was only a nine-game season due to a 57-day players' strike, but Jacobs still had a higher per-game average by more than 10 yards (88.5 to 77.4), so we're still calling that a win.
Over the next four years with the Silver & Black, Jacobs tacked on an additional 4,395 rushing yards, bringing his total with the Raiders to an incredible 5,545, ranking him third in franchise history in just 73 regular-season games.
The Oklahoma native continued his dominance in his first year with the Green Bay Packers in 2024, amassing 1,329 yards, which marks the fifth-highest single-season total in franchise history.
As such, in just six seasons, Jacobs has recorded 6,874 rushing yards, which already has him in 72nd place on the NFL's all-time list. And if he's able to have a similar season for the Packers in 2025, he can actually move into the top 50.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs has a shot to crack the top 50 on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list in 2025
Starting in the No. 50 slot, which currently belongs to Mark Ingram, here's how the NFL's all-time rushing yards leaderboard looks heading into the 2025 campaign.
Rank | Player | Rushing Yards |
|---|---|---|
50 | Mark Ingram | 8,111 |
51 | DeAngelo Williams | 8,096 |
52 | Larry Csonka | 8,081 |
53 | Freeman McNeil | 8,074 |
54 | Stephen Davis | 8,052 |
55 | Garrison Hearst | 7,966 |
56 | James Brooks | 7,962 |
57 | Chris Warren | 7,696 |
58 | Terrell Davis | 7,607 |
59 | Jamaal Charles | 7,563 |
60 | Joe Mixon | 7,428 |
61 | Mike Pruitt | 7,378 |
62 | Michael Turner | 7,338 |
63 | Jonathan Stewart | 7,335 |
64 | Leroy Kelly | 7,274 |
65 | Saquon Barkley | 7,216 |
66 | George Rogers | 7,176 |
67 | DeMarco Murray | 7,174 |
68 | Charlie Garner | 7,097 |
69 | Aaron Jones | 7,078 |
70 | Rodney Hampton | 6,897 |
71 | Antowain Smith | 6,881 |
72 | Josh Jacobs | 6,874 |
Simple math tells us that Jacobs needs 1,237 yards to surpass Ingram, a figure he's reached twice in his career. As mentioned, he went for 1,329 this past year with the Packers, also hitting the number needed in 2022, when he went for a career-high and league-leading 1,653 in what turned out to be his penultimate season with the Raiders.
Now, I'm sure you noticed three others listed in bold, those being Joe Mixon, Saquon Barkley, and former Packer Aaron Jones. Those three, of course, are the others on the list who, like Jacobs, are still active.
Naturally, their numbers will be changing as well as the 2025 season progresses. So, Jacobs may end up needing a few more yards to crack the top 50 depending on how things shake out.
But it wouldn't be much, as the difference between the 50th slot and the 46th slot, which currently belongs to Roger Craig (8,189), is only 78 yards. That's roughly the equivalent of one game for Jacobs, whose career average is 76.4.
It'll undoubtedly be close come the end of the season, but we could be in for a historic campaign from Josh Jacobs.