Packers activate Josh Jacobs; running back set to play in first game since domestic violence arrest
The Green Bay Packers have activated running back Josh Jacobs, making him eligible to play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday in his first game since an arrest on domestic violence-related charges. Jacobs missed the team’s first six games while on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list; the league’s investigation is continuing.
The Packers are 4-2 but have averaged 59.8 rushing yards per game, the league’s lowest total, and 2.9 yards per carry. Jacobs ran for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, after recording 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, expressed remorse, and has filed a civil suit seeking limits on access to evidence in the case.
In short
- Jacobs is eligible to return against Detroit.
- The NFL investigation is ongoing.
- Green Bay has struggled to run the ball.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Packers can argue that Jacobs has served the league’s exempt-list period, pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges and expressed remorse, while the league investigation continues under its own process. His return could also address a serious weakness in the team’s running game, and allowing him to play is not itself a finding about the unresolved investigation.
The case against
Critics can argue that returning Jacobs to the field so soon after a domestic violence-related arrest risks diminishing the seriousness of the allegations and the harm such conduct can cause, even while the league investigation remains open. The Packers could have kept him sidelined until more is known, signalling that team needs do not take priority over accountability and players’ safety.