Packers face complicated financial and roster reality with Josh Jacobs, and the lack of clarity makes a decision even tougher
Jacobs can’t practice or play, but he still receives his full salary while on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List
The Green Bay Packers are navigating a difficult situation with running back Josh Jacobs, and the layers of complexity make this anything but straightforward. Jacobs landed on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List, meaning he cannot practice or play for the Packers, but he can attend team meetings and do individual work at the team’s facilities. More importantly for the financial picture, he will continue to earn his full salary while sidelined.
That salary obligation is the key factor driving the Packers’ decision-making calculus. If the NFL had suspended Jacobs outright, he would forfeit approximately $566,000 per game based on the proration of his $10.2 million base salary in 2026. The commissioner’s exempt list carries no such forfeiture. Green Bay owes Jacobs every dollar regardless of his availability on the field.
The suspension math
The financial timeline gets more complicated when projecting potential outcomes. If Jacobs stays on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for 10 games and the NFL then decides to suspend him for six games, he would be eligible to return immediately because those games on the exempt list would retroactively count toward his suspension. In that scenario, Jacobs would lose roughly $3 million in salary tied to the suspension, but the Packers would still be obligated to pay the difference for the remaining games he missed while on the exempt list without practicing or playing.
That financial obligation creates an uncomfortable reality for the Packers’ front office. The Packers could choose to release Jacobs entirely. If Green Bay is not going to have the player on the field, the logic of cutting ties and saving the salary is obvious. That remains a possibility, but early indications suggest the Packers want to keep Jacobs on the roster, at least for now. The team kept him on the 90-man roster ahead of his placement on the exempt list, signaling patience rather than urgency to move on.
No timeline, no clarity for the star running back
The timeline compounds the uncertainty. While it is rare for a player to spend an entire season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, there is no formal limit on how long a player can remain there. If legal clarity around Jacobs’ status does not materialize, the NFL can keep him on the list indefinitely, and the Packers would have limited recourse.
In extreme cases, a player could seek assistance from the NFL Players Association. Based on Jacobs’ lawyer’s public statement, that path does not appear imminent. Jacobs was charged with two misdemeanor counts, and his next court date is scheduled for November. That legal timeline is not necessarily tied to the NFL’s process, though, because the league does not depend on the court system to make its own decisions regarding the exempt list or a potential suspension.
For now, the Packers are rolling with running back MarShawn Lloyd, recently-acquired Kaleb Johnson, and Chris Brooks on the 53-man roster.
The Packers’ stance appears to be one of patience. They are paying Jacobs, keeping him on the roster, and waiting to see if new evidence emerges or if the NFL changes its position.
