Josh Jacobs' backup might already be on the Packers (and it might not be MarShawn Lloyd)

With Emanuel Wilson set to hit the open market, the Packers will likely need a new No. 2 running back in 2026. That player might already reside on their roster.

By all appearances, the Green Bay Packers plan for Josh Jacobs to lead their rushing attack again next season. General manager Brian Gutekunst said as much last month during his season-closing press conference.

“Josh is a warrior, a really important part of our football team,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said when asked directly about Jacobs’ future in Green Bay. “Everything that he brings to us on the field, in the locker room, he’s an important part. I think he’s got a lot of good years left.”

Gutekunst doubled down at the annual NFL Scouting Combine, saying Jacobs remains “a very important cog in what we’re trying to do” and that the veteran running back “absolutely” would return to Green Bay in 2026.

Those statements of support hardly come as a surprise. Jacobs’ first season with the Packers saw him produce 1,671 yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns. And while he didn’t match those figures in 2025, he reached the end zone nearly as many times (14) despite playing through several significant injuries and running behind an offensive line that underperformed throughout the year.

But while Jacobs’ status as the Packers’ lead back hasn’t changed, the identity of his backup probably has. As of this week, the team officially declined to tender restricted free agent Emanuel Wilson, allowing him to hit the open market.

Few expected Wilson to receive a first- or second-round tender, but a qualifying offer at the lowest level didn’t seem off the table. Such a tender would have only cost a hair over $3.5 million and given the Packers the right of first refusal if another team signed the former undrafted free agent to an offer sheet.

Wilson’s play in Green Bay suggests he’ll garner some attention in free agency. According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged 3.06 yards after contact per carry this past season, more than his teammate Jacobs, as well as Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kenneth Walker III, Kyren Williams, and a handful of other notable running backs. Wilson also displayed decent hands as a receiver, suggesting he could produce more in the passing game if given a chance.

Still, the Packers ultimately decided not to allocate the $3.5 million to tender Wilson, leaving a void behind Jacobs in the backfield rotation with no obvious candidate to fill it.