Josh Jacobs Cannot Practice or Attend Games and the Packers Open in Six Days

Caption: The Green Bay Packers face the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field in September 2025. Credit: All-Pro Reels / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The NFL placed Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list in late August. A player on that list is not permitted to practice or attend games. It is not a suspension and not a termination. Jacobs’ lawyers described it as an administrative procedure used by the league while a matter is under review and said it is not a final determination.

The Charges

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee charged Jacobs on August 27 with two Class A misdemeanors, battery and criminal damage to property, stemming from a domestic incident. The charges carry no domestic violence designation. Jacobs, 28, was arrested in May and initially booked on five counts, including felony strangulation. The charges ultimately filed are the two misdemeanors. Being charged is not a conviction, and the case has not been adjudicated.

The Roster Question

Head coach Matt LaFleur, speaking alongside general manager Brian Gutekunst on September 1, said he fully anticipated Jacobs being a member of the team but could not confirm his availability for the September 13 season opener against Minnesota. Green Bay therefore enters its first game of the season with its lead back administratively unavailable and no announced end date for that status.

What the Exempt List Actually Settles

The exempt list is designed to remove a decision from the field while a legal process runs, and it resolves nothing about the underlying case. The NFL has not announced discipline under the personal conduct policy, and no discipline exists until the league announces it. Jacobs’ legal team said he respects the NFL process, the Packers, and his coaches and teammates, and looks forward to his return.

The Interval Nobody Controls

The exempt list has no fixed term. It ends when the league decides it ends, which in practice tends to follow the criminal case rather than the football calendar. Green Bay’s season starts on its own schedule.

References: NFL places Packers RB Josh Jacobs on Commissioner’s Exempt List | Packers running back Josh Jacobs charged in Brown County domestic incident | Packers’ Josh Jacobs placed on commissioner’s exempt list while he faces misdemeanor charges