Green Bay Packers: GM Gutekunst believes Josh Jacobs will return

Placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List, the running back is currently unable to train or play for his team, but this has not stopped general manager Brian Gutekunst from remaining optimistic about his return in 2026.

Green Bay Packers

Gutekunst remains confident, without setting a timeline

Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List after being charged with two misdemeanor offenses: assault and battery, as well as criminal damage to property. The charges stem from an alleged incident at his home on 23 May.

This list allows the NFL to temporarily sideline a player while a matter is under review. It does not constitute a suspension, but Jacobs cannot participate in training sessions or matches while he remains on it. The league has not yet announced any definitive sanction against him. 

When asked about the possibility of Green Bay parting ways with their running back, Gutekunst left all options open while declining to comment before the end of the process.

Legal proceedings still ongoing

According to the police report, the complainant alleges that Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. The player contests the charges brought against him.

The Brown County District Attorney indicated that CCTV footage recorded in the garage would corroborate the complainant's statements. The Packers have not, however, had access to that footage.

Gutekunst clarified that the franchise would allow the legal process to examine the matter before drawing its own conclusions.

The Packers are preparing a Plan B all the same

While awaiting a decision regarding Jacobs, Green Bay has bolstered their backfield by bringing in Kaleb Johnson.

The former Steelers running back joins a group that also includes MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks.

This addition provides an extra option for the offense, but none of the three players currently offers the same guarantees as Jacobs. A prolonged absence would likely force the Packers to distribute carries across several running backs.

What Josh Jacobs means to Green Bay

Having arrived in Wisconsin in March 2024 on a four-year, $48 million contract, Jacobs quickly established himself as one of the key players in the offense.

In two seasons in a Packers shirt, he has accumulated 2,258 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. His teammates also voted him one of three offensive captains for the entirety of the 2025 season.

Green Bay is therefore continuing to prepare for the season with the expectation that their number-one running back will be able to return. But between the legal proceedings and the NFL's review of the case, no timeline can yet be established.

Getty Images

A particularly clumsy statement

Romain Champagne, NFL journalist for DAZN

Respect for the legal process must remain a given. Josh Jacobs contests the charges, and the courts have yet to rule. But waiting for a verdict does not prevent a franchise from adopting a clear moral position in the face of the gravity of the reported facts.

By publicly stating that he expects to see Jacobs back in a Packers shirt this season, Brian Gutekunst gives the impression that his primary concern is the availability of his running back.

Yet the District Attorney states that surveillance footage corroborates the key elements of the complainant's account, including that Jacobs allegedly threw her to the ground before taking her phone.

The Packers say they have not viewed that footage. That was precisely an additional reason not to publicly anticipate the player's return.

Gutekunst could have acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, expressed support for anyone who has been a victim of violence, and explained that the franchise was waiting to know the facts before commenting on Jacobs' future.

Instead, his remarks read above all like those of an executive managing his roster. In a matter of this nature, that stated priority seems at the very least premature and particularly clumsy.

The presumption of innocence must be respected, but it should never be used to sidestep the human dimension of a case.

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