Josh Jacobs is about to end the longest absence of his career. The NFL announced Friday that the Green Bay Packers running back will be removed from the Commissioner's Exempt List on Monday, clearing the way for him to suit up for the first time this season in Week 7.
A Six-Game Wait Finally Ends
Jacobs will be officially taken off the list on Monday, making him eligible to make his season debut in Week 7, as the Packers take on the Detroit Lions on Oct. 25. That game is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET from Ford Field in Detroit, airing on FOX.
Before that, Jacobs has one more game to sit out. He will miss his sixth regular season game while on the exempt list this week, with Green Bay hosting Dallas on Sunday Night Football on October 18 before the trip to Detroit. For more on how the situation reached this point, see our earlier coverage of Jacobs' uncertain path back to the Packers.
Why Jacobs Has Been Away
The May Arrest and Charges
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. Brown County prosecutors charged him in August with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property.
On Sept. 10, Jacobs pleaded no contest to both charges. Judge Marc Hammer fined him $1,000 plus court costs for battery, while on the property charge Jacobs entered a deferred judgment agreement that requires counseling, battery intervention, restitution, no contact with the woman and no new legal trouble for a year.
The Fight Over the Video Evidence
Part of the delay in resolving the case has centered on surveillance footage. On Sept. 24, Hammer declined to permanently seal the evidence, ruling that Wisconsin's open records law favors public access and leaving it to police to weigh the competing interests involved.
Local authorities have continued to sit on the material. The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department said many of the records can legally be released, but attorneys for people named in them have said they will go to court to block that release, and those records likely include home security video the NFL wants to see before deciding Jacobs' punishment.
An Investigation That Isn't Closed
Coming off the exempt list does not mean Jacobs is in the clear. The league said in a statement that its review "remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Jacobs' roster status."
Financially and competitively, there are still consequences hanging over him. Players on the exempt list continue to be paid, but if the NFL later suspends Jacobs, the league could credit the games he already missed toward that suspension and seek repayment of the salary he earned during that period. His legal team has struck a conciliatory tone, with a statement noting he is "excited to get back on the field with his teammates."
What It Means for the Packers Backfield
Who Has Carried the Load
Green Bay has had to get creative at running back without its lead ball-carrier. The Packers have used MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. at running back while Jacobs has missed games, and Green Bay ranks last in the NFL in rushing attempts and rushing yards entering Week 6. That production gap is a big part of why his return matters so much for the NFL playoff picture in the NFC North.
Jacobs' comeback also isn't automatic on paper. The Packers would need to clear a spot on the 53-man roster to make room for Jacobs coming off the list.
A Pivotal NFC North Matchup
Jacobs isn't the only player getting a fresh start this week. Jonathon Cooper is eligible to play in Denver's Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals, giving the Denver Broncos a boost as well after a parallel exempt-list stint tied to a separate domestic violence case.
For Green Bay, the stakes of getting a healthy, available Jacobs back are high heading into a stretch of divisional games. The investigation's final outcome remains unresolved, and any further discipline would depend on evidence the NFL has not yet obtained, but for now the Packers can plan around having their top back for the trip to Detroit.