Josh Jacobs Return Update: Packers RB on Track to Face Lions

Updated October 23, 2026.

Josh Jacobs is on track to play for the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, provided he continues trending in the right direction, coach Matt LaFleur said Friday, according to NFL.com’s October 23 update.

The playing-status update follows his removal from the commissioner’s exempt list. The Packers reported Wednesday that the league’s personal-conduct investigation remained ongoing. Eligibility to return and the final disciplinary outcome remain separate issues.

October 16 eligibility announcement

The NFL announced Friday that Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper will be eligible to return in Week 7. The league's reviews of their legal situations continue. NFL announcement.

Jacobs will come off the commissioner exempt list Monday, October 19, allowing him to play against Detroit. Cooper was removed Friday and will be eligible for Denver's next game against Arizona. Both had been on the list since August 30.

Jacobs pleaded no contest September 10 to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. The battery count resulted in a conviction and a $1,000 fine, while the property-damage count received deferred judgment, as previously reported by WBAY.

The criminal proceedings and the NFL's personal-conduct process address separate questions. A court outcome does not itself determine whether a player can return to practice or games; that requires a change in league status.

Friday's announcement supplies that change and identifies Week 7 as the return point. It does not announce a final disciplinary decision in either player's case.

Case background

WBAY reported that the court ordered no contact with the victim, supervision through Brown County Criminal Justice Services, counseling and restitution. Prosecutors recommended a fine rather than jail time, citing Jacobs’ lack of a criminal record.

The scheduled initial appearance became a plea proceeding. There was no trial verdict.

The NFL process remains separate

The criminal court and the NFL have different powers. The court handles criminal responsibility and sentencing. The league determines consequences under its personal-conduct rules.

Article 46 of the NFL–NFLPA collective bargaining agreement assigns the initial personal-conduct disciplinary decision to an officer jointly selected by the league and union. The NFL bears the burden of proving a policy violation. The agreement provides for an appeal of the disciplinary decision to the commissioner or his designee.

Article 46, Section 5 also addresses time on the exempt list: regular-season and postseason games missed are credited against a suspension ultimately imposed, with salary repaid for the credited games. That conditional rule does not establish how many games Jacobs will miss.

How the case reached this hearing

The charges arose from a May 23 incident involving Jacobs and his girlfriend at his Hobart home. He was arrested May 26, and Brown County prosecutors filed the two misdemeanor counts on August 27.

The hearing was originally scheduled for November 17 before being moved to September 10, the Associated Press reported. Our September 5 update covered that calendar change. The September 10 update replaced the earlier pending-case account with the reported court outcome.

Reporting note: The Sporting Page’s account of the hearing relies on WBAY’s reporting. TSP has not independently reviewed the court file or the video described in earlier coverage.