Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is set to return to the field after the NFL confirmed Friday, Oct. 16, that he will be taken off the commissioner's exempt list, clearing him for a long-awaited season debut. The move, which becomes official on Monday, allows him to suit up for Green Bay's Week 7 matchup against the NFL schedule's Detroit Lions on Oct. 25.
Why Jacobs has not played this season
Jacobs has not played a single snap in 2026. He was removed from the commissioner exempt list after being placed there on Aug. 30 following a domestic abuse arrest last May. The decision kept him off Green Bay's active roster for the opening six weeks of the schedule.
The charges and the plea
Jacobs was arrested in northern Wisconsin on May 26 and charged with multiple counts of domestic abuse, stemming from an incident three days prior when he allegedly grabbed a woman trying to leave his garage and threw her to the ground. He was formally charged with two of those counts, battery and criminal damage to property, the week before he was placed on the exempt list, and he pleaded no contest to both charges last month.
A fight over the evidence
Jacobs is now trying to prevent evidence, including footage of the incident, from being released publicly, having filed a civil suit calling for an injunction and protective order restricting access to records in his case. The push to keep the surveillance footage sealed has been described as a key factor in why the league was never able to review it directly as part of its own inquiry.
What the NFL says now
In Friday's statement announcing the move, the league said the investigation into Jacobs' arrest remains ongoing and is not affected by his removal from the exempt list. That means Jacobs could still face a suspension even after returning to action, with any time already served on the exempt list likely to count toward a future penalty.
Life without Jacobs in Green Bay
During Jacobs' absence, the Packers leaned on a rotating group of backs to fill the void in their backfield. Green Bay had trotted out a rotation of MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. through the first six weeks of the season.
Why Jacobs matters to this offence
Before his absence, Jacobs had established himself as one of the league's most productive runners since arriving in Green Bay. He remains in the middle years of a four-year contract with the franchise after making his name over five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he enters the year as a three-time Pro Bowler who rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.0 yards per carry last season, also adding 282 receiving yards.
What comes next for Jacobs and the Packers
Jacobs will be officially taken off the exempt list on Monday and will be eligible to make his season debut in Week 7, as the Packers take on the Detroit Lions on Oct. 25. It will mark his first appearance of the 2026 campaign after missing the entirety of the opening six weeks.
Whether he immediately reclaims a featured workload or eases back in behind the committee that carried the load in his absence remains to be seen. For now, the bigger storyline hanging over his return is the NFL's unresolved review, which could still result in discipline regardless of how he performs on the field. Green Bay fans eager for updates on the broader North American football landscape will be watching closely to see how the situation develops heading into the back half of the season.