Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list, following formal misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property. The administrative status keeps him away from practices and games indefinitely while the league reviews the matter.
The NFL announced the roster move on a Sunday as training camps wrapped and regular-season preparations entered their final fortnight. Jacobs, 28, is barred from practicing or attending games while on the list, though he continues to receive his salary and may visit team facilities for meetings, therapy, and workouts with club permission under the personal conduct policy. Only NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell holds the authority to remove him from the list according to league guidelines.
Criminal Charges and Surveillance Video Evidence in Brown County
The league’s disciplinary action stems from a May 23 domestic disturbance at Jacobs’ home. Brown County District Attorney David Lasee formally charged Jacobs on August 27 with two Class A misdemeanors: battery and criminal damage to property. Police had initially arrested Jacobs on May 26 following five potential counts including strangulation and suffocation, domestic abuse battery, disorderly conduct, and victim intimidation, before prosecutors settled on the two misdemeanor charges.
According to police records and court filings, responding officers noted that Jacobs’ girlfriend reported a physical struggle over her cellular phone that left her with a bump on her head after she was thrown to the ground in the garage. Investigators noted that surveillance video from the garage system corroborated the woman’s testimony regarding the battery and property damage to her cell phone.
Chesnoff, Richard A. Duchac III — addressed the situation through a public statement emphasizing that the filings do not include domestic violence
and asserting that the allegations will be addressed in court, and not in the media.
“Josh Jacobs has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which is an administrative procedure used by the NFL while a matter is being reviewed. It is not a final determination. Josh respects the NFL process, the Packers, and his Coaches and Teammates. He looks forward to his return to the team and the NFL.”
David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld, and Clarence F. Duchac III, via ESPN and NFL Media
Packers Roster Adjustments and MarShawn Lloyd’s Opportunity
Because players on the exempt list do not count against the active 53-man roster while the review is underway, Green Bay had roster flexibility heading into the league’s cutdown deadlines. Earlier on Sunday, the franchise acquired running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson, a 2025 third-round selection, led the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,537 and scored 21 touchdowns during his junior college season prior to entering the professional ranks.
Head coach Matt LaFleur expressed support for the veteran running back following the team’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, stating that he fully anticipate him being a member of our team
despite the pending legal proceedings. General manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that the front office had prepared for a potential suspension.
On the field, the backfield pecking order shifts immediately toward 2024 third-round draft choice MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd missed significant time over his first two professional campaigns due to injuries making just one regular-season appearance, but he avoided physical setbacks through the summer. Veteran running back Chris Brooks joins Lloyd and Johnson in filling out the active running back room for the start of the regular season.
Contract Status and Upcoming Court Timeline in Brown County
Jacobs is currently in the third season of a four-year, $48 million contract signed with Green Bay in March 2024. He is owed a base salary for the 2026 season which remains fully payable while on the exempt list, though he will forfeit per-game roster bonuses for every contest he misses. His contract carries no guaranteed base pay for 2027 alongside a scheduled cap charge for the final year of the deal.
Past league precedents under the personal conduct policy indicate that suspensions often track near six games, but the exact timeline depends entirely on further league review and the ongoing judicial process before the Packers open their schedule against the Minnesota Vikings on September 13 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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