Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst is hopeful that running back Josh Jacobs will play for the team this year, and noted that he certainly expects that. However, he made it clear that there are a lot of underlying developments he does not quite know about yet.
“I think that’s to be seen,” said Gutekunst when asked whether Jacobs would play for the Packers this year. “Certainly hopeful that he will, and certainly would expect that, but we’re gonna let that process play out.”
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Jacobs was officially charged with two misdemeanors, one for battery and one for criminal damage to property. The charges were filed on August 27th, nearly three months after Jacobs was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident.
Green Bay Packers Letting Legal Situation Play Out for Running Back Josh Jacobs
Gutekunst made it clear that a police investigation was playing out, and that the Packers would let that happen and gather the information at the appropriate time before making a decision.
“We’ll let the process play out before we make any of those kinds of decisions,” Gutekunst said on whether the team would release Jacobs due to the charges. “We’ll see.”
The Packers GM also made it clear that he has not seen the video. The police reportedly have a video of the incident, but as they continue their investigation, this is not a publicly available video.
“We have not seen the video,” said Gutekunst. “Again, those are legal things going on right now, so we will let those play out; that’s really not for us. At the appropriate times, if those things become available, we’ll figure that stuff out when that time comes.”
Gutekunst made it clear that the team will lean on the legal process and let things play out before they make any decisions on their end.
So, while Gutekunst is hopeful Jacobs can return, there is also a lot of uncertainty and plenty of information he does not know.
Packers Are Preparing for Life Without Jacobs
Because players on the Commissioner Exempt list will not be taken off until something happens on the legal end, these things can vary on the timeline that Jacobs would miss. However, in the quickest case of a player being removed from the list, they were still out for six games.
So, the Packers are preparing for life without Jacobs even if they do expect him back at some point.
They traded for former third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, who will compete with another third-round player, MarShawn Lloyd. Chris Brooks will serve as depth.
If one of them, or the group, can step up, it will make Jacobs expendable. Jacobs has one year left on his deal after this season, and the Packers could save $13.5M by letting him go after this year.
So, it is looking like this will be the last year that Jacobs is in Green Bay, regardless of his return or what happens legally. The only question is how many games he plays in his last year with the team.
Packers GM Makes Stance on Josh Jacobs Clear