ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is being placed on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list, which means that he will not start on the team’s 53-man roster to open the season. At the time, there is no timeframe for a Jacobs suspension following the news earlier this week that he was charged with battery and criminal damage to property after an incident that involved his girlfriend at his residence.
After the preseason finale, head coach Matt LaFleur stated that he fully anticipated Jacobs to be on the roster, but was not willing to say one way or another if Jacobs was going to be on the field on Week 1. “I can’t really comment on that, because I don’t know,” were LaFleur’s final words about the subject. He was not asked whether or not the team or league has seen the alleged video that police received from the surveillance camera on the property, which the police report states shows “the altercation.”
The Packers did not speak to the media on either Saturday or Sunday, and they won’t on Monday, either. The first time that anyone in Green Bay’s organization will have a press conference following LaFleur’s post-game presser will be on Tuesday, when the media will be allowed to do a headcount during the stretching and individual periods of Packers practice.
Earlier today, Green Bay traded for running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The assumption is that the team will roll into the regular season with MarShawn Lloyd, Johnson and Chris Brooks at the position.
Update: Jacobs’ representation dropped the following statement, via ESPN/NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“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.”
Update #2:
The most recent case of a player landing on the commissioner's exempt list was Jimmie Ward, who stayed on for 27 days (8/26-9/22) last year. In 2024, Michael Hall Jr. (35 days), Jabrill Peppers (47 days), and Tashaun Gipson (4 days, after a PED suspension) wound up on it. https://t.co/YQyCAnhpGO
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 30, 2026