The Green Bay Packers will get Josh Jacobs back on their team after Week 6. Jacobs will be removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Monday. When he does, he will be eligible to practice and return to the field for the Packers’ Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions.
After the league’s announcement, Jacobs attorney’s, Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, released a statement noting that he accepted responsibility for the charges, but also that he will not be commenting on the matter.
“Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions. He is excited to get back to work and on the field with his teammates. Josh is grateful for the support he is receiving from his teammates, coaches, the Packers organization, and the greatest fans in the world. Since there are ongoing legal matters, he will not have any further comment.”
Jacobs would be pressed with questions upon his return, and likely will continue to get questions despite the statement. However, his attorneys have now given him something to point to when declining any answers in the media.
Green Bay Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs Set to Return in Week 7
Jacobs pleaded no contest on September 10 to misdemeanor battery charges and criminal damage to property charges. This came from an altercation that occurred on May 23 with his former girlfriend.
Jacobs had to pay a fine. However, he also sued the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in an effort to prevent video of the incident from being released.
The NFL waited to see the video before concluding its investigation. However, with the legal matter ongoing and with his suspension hitting six games, the league felt that they had all of the evidence they were going to get.
Now, the focus for Jacobs is getting back onto the NFL field. He will practice Monday and the team will likely start him in Week 7.
Packers Need Jacobs to Return
Jacobs is in the third year of his four-year, $48M contract that he signed with the team after his rookie contract with the Raiders. The team can release him after the season and save over $13M in cap space. So they will likely lean on him for the rest of the season, then release him.
Jacobs had 5,545 yards in his five years with the Raiders. In his first year with the Packers, he produced 1,329 yards on 301 rushing attempts. However, he was not as strong the following season. Jacobs produced 929 yards on 234 attempts. Still, the 4.0 yards per attempt in his down year would be a welcome addition to this rushing attack.
Right now MarShawn Lloyd is the Packers’ leading rusher. He is averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. Kaleb Johnson is second on the team in carries. He is averaging 3.9 yards per attempt and has just 27 rushes in five weeks.
Chris Brooks has 15 rushes for 70 yards, but he is on the IR. The team is weak at running back.
Packers Josh Jacobs Issues Statement After NFL Decision