Packers RB Josh Jacobs Could Play In Week 7

Jacobs, 28, was arrested in Wisconsin on charges of domestic violence in May. He originally faced five charges, including felony strangulation, but they were later reduced to two misdemeanors. He was later placed on the commissioner’s exempt list before the regular season as his legal process played out and the league conducted their investigation.

Jacobs pled no contest in September and sought to prevent the NFL from seeing video of the incident. He was unsuccessful, but the woman involved declined to provide information for the league’s investigation.

A six-game suspension has become the standard punishment for domestic violence-related violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. (That the NFL has a standard punishment for such situations speaks to the pervasiveness of domestic violence issues within the league.) Jacobs’ time on the commissioner’s exempt list will effectively serve as his suspension, though no punishment has been levied. As a result, Jacobs has been receiving his game checks every week – $3.4MM to date – but he will have to pay those back if suspended. The NFL has also kept his case open to give them the flexibility to suspend him for more than six games pending the results of their investigation.

Jacobs’ return to the field will help Green Bay find some consistency on the ground after ranking dead-last in rushing to start the season. MarShawn Lloyd took on the starting role but averaged just 20.3 yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry, which has led to more work for Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks, and Pierre Strong. Brooks’ 4.7 yards per carry leads the Packers’ running back room, while Lloyd has scored the group’s only two rushing touchdowns.

Jacobs was among the leagues best running backs in 2024, his first year in Green Bay, but took a step back statistically in 2025. He also dealt with a handful of injuries that limited his effectiveness, including a knee sprain that sidelined him for two games.

Jacobs participated in training camp, so he should be in physical shape to play despite missing the last six weeks of practice. LaFleur’s comments indicate he may need some time to ramp up and could join Green Bay’s backfield committee initially before returning to his lead back role.

Though the Packers are getting Jacobs back on the field this week, they will have to wait a while longer before adding Micah Parsons back to their defense. LaFleur announced that his star edge rusher would not practice this week (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman), aligning with expectations of a November return.