Josh Jacobs placed on commissioner exempt list by NFL

This one's been building since May. Josh Jacobs was arrested on 5 counts back then, including a felony strangulation charge, and the Brown County DA spent the summer deciding what actually sticks. Last Thursday the answer came back: 2 misdemeanors, battery and criminal damage to property, both carrying up to 9 months and a $10,000 fine. Reduced from a felony, sure, but still enough for the league to act.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Packers RB Josh Jacobs now has been charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, according to Wisconsin court records.

For a couple days it looked like Jacobs might just play through it. Matt LaFleur said Friday morning he "fully anticipated" Jacobs staying on the roster, and that quote was everywhere as a signal the Packers weren't panicking.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Packers HC Matt LaFleur “Fully anticipate” RB Josh Jacobs will remain on Green Bay’s roster. Story via @RobDemovsky: t.co/2jyE8zsvWI

That confidence lasted about 48 hours. Sunday, the NFL announced Jacobs is going on the commissioner exempt list — he's off the initial 53, can't practice, can't be at games, but still gets paid while the league reviews the case. It's the same tool the NFL has used for years to sideline players facing serious legal issues without cutting them loose or waiting on a courtroom. Jacobs' attorneys were quick to frame it as procedural, not a verdict: "an administrative procedure used by the NFL while a matter is being reviewed. It is not a final determination."

Tom Pelissero

@TomPelissero

The NFL is placing Packers RB Josh Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list, as @adamschefter said. Jacobs, who was charged Thursday with two misdemeanors related to an alleged incident in May, will be paid while on the list but not allowed to practice or play.

The football fallout is immediate. Jacobs signed a 4-year, $48 million deal with Green Bay as a free agent in 2024 and was the engine of that run game. Now the Packers are opening the season without their top 2 offensive playmakers — Micah Parsons still rehabbing his torn ACL, and Jacobs stuck in exempt-list limbo. That's exactly the gap Rich Cimini pointed out from the Jets' side, noting Gang Green now avoids both stars in Week 2.

Rich Cimini

@RichCimini

The Jets won't have to face Micah Parsons in Week 2, and now it appears they won't have to face Josh Jacobs, either.

Green Bay didn't sit on its hands — the team had already traded for running back Kaleb Johnson from the Steelers with this exact scenario in mind, and reporting Sunday made clear it's MarShawn Lloyd's backfield to lead now. There's no timetable here tied to the legal process; the league doesn't have to wait for Jacobs' court date to keep reviewing or eventually hand down discipline. For now it's a full pause — no practice, no games, paid — while everyone waits to see how far this actually goes.