Denver Broncos were spurned by free-agent RB for not being a contender

Travis Wakeman

Denver Broncos were spurned by free-agent RB for not being a contender image

The Denver Broncos were interested in free-agent running back Josh Jacobs this offseason. The feeling was not mutual. 

Jacobs, a first-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019, was approached by many teams this offseason with the Broncos being one of them. The Broncos were connected to Jacobs many times before free agency as there were concerns (and still are) surrounding starter Javonte Williams. 

 

Instead, Jacobs signed a new contract with the Green Bay Packers. His reason for not being interested in Denver, at least according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, is that he wanted to play for a contender. 

Josh Jacobs, other high-profile free agents may have skipped Denver

Though it has never been stated publicly, the Broncos declared themselves as a team in rebuild mode when they chose to part ways with Russell Wilson this offseason, putting themselves in a financial bind. That likely made luring free agents to Denver, like Jacobs, quite difficult.

The Broncos did not sign a running back in free agency, instead drafting Audric Estime in the fifth round as their main addition to the group. Jacobs would have been a nice piece for the team, as he has rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in his career.

Broncos fans are quite familiar with him as he seems to have a big game every time the two teams play. Those fans can take solace that he's no longer with the Raiders, but he also wanted no part of the Broncos. 

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.