Josh Jacobs has resolved his legal situation, and the path is now clearer for the NFL to determine the Green Bay Packers running back’s suspension. Jacobs had his initial hearing on Thursday in Brown County Court, where he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. The plea means Jacobs has agreed to resolve the criminal case without fighting the charges, even though he did not formally admit guilt.

Court conditions and outcome

On the criminal damage to property charge, the court accepted Jacobs’ no contest plea on five conditions: no further criminal acts, no contact with the victim, supervision, counseling, and paying restitution to the victim. Jacobs has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus costs on the battery charge, and a deferred judgment agreement has been accepted.

The district attorney asked for a conviction on the battery count and accepted the deferred agreement on the criminal damage to property charge if Jacobs meets those five stipulations. Jacobs will not face any jail time.

Jacobs’ attorney said the running back has already voluntarily begun counseling. Jacobs made a statement in court: “I fully understand the seriousness of the situation and I take full responsibility.”

The charges stemmed from Jacobs’ arrest in Wisconsin on May 26. The incident with his girlfriend occurred on May 23.

What this means for the Packers and the NFL

For now, Jacobs remains on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List. That designation means he is not formally suspended because Green Bay is still obligated to pay his salary, but Jacobs cannot practice or play. Now that the legal situation has reached a resolution, the NFL can move toward determining Jacobs’ suspension timeline.

If the league suspends Jacobs, the games he has already missed while on the Commissioner’s Exempt List would count toward that suspension. The Packers would also receive salary cap credit for the games he serves under a formal suspension.

Jacobs carries a $10.2 million base salary this season, which breaks down to roughly $566,000 per week. That is the amount he would forfeit per game if suspended, and that money would eventually be credited back to the Packers’ salary cap. For example, a six-game suspension would cost Jacobs approximately $3.4 million, with that figure returning to Green Bay’s cap space.

The legal resolution is what the Packers expected. With the court proceedings behind Jacobs, the front office can now wait for the NFL to make a final determination and plan accordingly for life without their top running back in the short term.