The NFL placed Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list, the league announced Sunday. Jacobs can’t practice or play while on the list, and only commissioner Roger Goodell can remove him from it.
The NFL has not yet determined a suspension for Jacobs, who was formally charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property on Thursday stemming from an alleged altercation at his home on May 23.
Jacobs can’t even attend games, according to the NFL, “but upon request and with the club’s permission, he may be present at the club’s facility on a reasonable basis for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other permitted non-football activities.” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked Friday night whether the team would keep Jacobs regardless of how his case played out, and he said he fully expected Jacobs to remain with the franchise.
Jacobs will not count against the initial 53-man roster, which explains the Packers’ trade for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson earlier Sunday.
Jacobs attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III, released a statement after Sunday’s announcement: “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.”
The Packers will now rely on MarShawn Lloyd to be their No. 1 running back while Jacobs is sidelined. Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick out of USC, has played in only one game over his first two seasons due to a litany of injuries. He hasn’t missed any time this summer, though, and he’s the most explosive running back the Packers have.
Here’s what general manager Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday when asked if he felt Green Bay’s running back room could withstand a potential Jacobs suspension:
“I’m pretty confident we can sustain it, but it doesn’t mean we wouldn’t do that (add another running back). Yeah, we’ll deal with that when that comes, but we’ve obviously prepared for (a suspension) in case that happens, but, at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we’ve got in that room, and I think we can survive that.”
The Packers also have running back Chris Brooks, who should begin the season as Green Bay’s backup at the position behind Lloyd. Brooks has 63 carries for 289 yards and a touchdown to go along with 24 catches for 160 yards in two seasons with the Packers. He’s a terrific pass protector and also played more than half of the team’s snaps on special teams last season.