The legal situation surrounding Packers running back Josh Jacobs took a significant step forward Thursday, with the Brown County District Attorney’s Office formally charging him with two misdemeanors stemming from his May arrest.
Jacobs has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of misdemeanor criminal damage to property. He was originally arrested in May following an alleged incident in Wisconsin and was booked on several potential charges, including felony strangulation and suffocation, battery related to domestic abuse, criminal damage to property related to domestic abuse, disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse and intimidation of a victim.
The charges ultimately filed are considerably less severe. Most notably, prosecutors did not charge Jacobs with felony strangulation. FOX6 in Milwaukee also reports, citing a source close to the case, that neither of the two misdemeanor charges filed Thursday carries a domestic violence designation.
Jacobs has denied the allegations through his attorneys since his arrest.
What Does the NFL Personal Conduct Policy Say?
This is where things get a little complicated. The NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy allows the league to discipline a player regardless of what happens in criminal court. A conviction isn’t required. In other words, charges being reduced or even eventually dismissed wouldn’t necessarily prevent the NFL from suspending Jacobs if its own investigation determines he violated the policy.
However, the often-cited six-game suspension isn’t automatically triggered simply because Jacobs was charged with battery. Under the current policy, a six-game suspension is the baseline for a first violation involving felony criminal assault or battery, domestic violence, dating violence, child abuse, other forms of family violence, or certain sexual assaults. The league can then adjust the punishment based on aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
That’s an important distinction in Jacobs’ case. He was initially arrested on allegations that included domestic abuse and felony strangulation, but those aren’t the charges prosecutors ultimately filed. If the FOX6 report is accurate that the misdemeanor charges don’t carry a domestic violence designation, it becomes much harder to simply assume Jacobs is headed for the standard six-game suspension.
That doesn’t mean he’s in the clear. The NFL conducts its own investigation and isn’t bound by the district attorney’s charging decisions. Ezekiel Elliott, for example, received a six-game suspension in 2017 despite never being criminally charged.
When Will the Josh Jacobs Case Be Resolved?
This is the biggest reason fantasy managers shouldn’t assume a suspension is imminent. Jacobs’ initial court appearance isn’t scheduled until November 17, according to WTAQ in Green Bay. That’s Week 11 of the NFL season.
An initial appearance isn’t a trial. It’s one of the first steps in the criminal process. From there, the case could proceed through additional hearings, negotiations between prosecutors and Jacobs’ attorneys, a potential plea agreement or eventually a trial.
Most criminal cases are resolved without going to trial, so it would be premature to predict that Jacobs will ultimately end up in front of a jury. But if he contests the charges and the case moves toward trial, there’s a strong possibility the legal proceedings would extend well beyond the 2026 NFL regular season.
The NFL doesn’t technically have to wait for Jacobs’ criminal case to be resolved before imposing discipline. Its Personal Conduct Policy gives the league broad authority to conduct its own investigation and punish players even without a criminal conviction.
In practice, however, the league has often allowed an active criminal case to play out before determining discipline. Alvin Kamara provides a recent example. He was arrested following a February 2022 incident in Las Vegas but wasn’t suspended during the 2022 season. The NFL ultimately disciplined him in August 2023, shortly after his criminal case was resolved through a plea agreement.
That precedent could be important for Jacobs. His first court appearance isn’t scheduled until November 17, and unless his case is resolved quickly through a plea agreement or dismissal, the legal process could easily extend beyond the 2026 NFL season.
The NFL could still act sooner, especially if its own investigation uncovers information it believes warrants discipline. But based on how the league has handled similar cases, Jacobs being charged doesn’t necessarily mean a suspension is imminent.
The timing here matters. The NFL said Thursday that it is monitoring developments and that Jacobs’ situation remains under review. With the first court date nearly three months away, the league may choose to continue its investigation rather than immediately hand down discipline.
Will Josh Jacobs Be Suspended in 2026?
Thursday’s news increases the possibility, but a 2026 suspension is far from a certainty. Before charges were filed, the most likely outcome appeared to be that the legal process would drag on long enough to push any potential NFL discipline into 2027. Formal charges give the league more information to work with and make a suspension this season more plausible.
At the same time, the charges filed are significantly less serious than the allegations surrounding Jacobs’ original arrest. The felony charge is gone, and all indications are the two remaining misdemeanor charges aren’t classified as domestic violence offenses.
That distinction could be extremely important when the NFL determines whether Jacobs violated the Personal Conduct Policy and, if so, what punishment is appropriate.
For now, fantasy managers should account for some suspension risk without treating Jacobs as though he’s already guaranteed to miss six games. There is currently no suspension, the NFL hasn’t announced when it will make a decision, and Jacobs’ first scheduled court appearance isn’t until November.
The situation has become more concerning for Jacobs’ 2026 availability, but we’re still a long way from knowing whether he’ll actually miss games.