Packers star Josh Jacobs heads to Commissioner’s Exempt List after charges from strangulation arrest: reports

Three NFL players hit the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Sunday as the 2026 season nears its start.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs, Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Terrion Arnold were all placed on the exempt list.

The NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List “is a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances,” according to the league rulebook. 

“The List includes those players who have been declared by the Commissioner to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit. Only the Commissioner has the authority to place a player on the Exempt List; clubs have no such authority, and no exemption, regardless of circumstances, is automatic. The Commissioner also has the authority to determine in advance whether a player’s time on the Exempt List will be finite or will continue until the Commissioner deems the exemption should be lifted and the player returned to the Active List.”

Jacobs was charged with one count of battery and one count of criminal damage to property after a domestic incident near his home in Green Bay earlier this year. Jacobs faces up to $20,000 in fines or up to 18 months in prison if he is convicted of two misdemeanor charges filed.

Cooper was arrested in June after he allegedly violated a protection order that was filed against him for a previous domestic violence arrest.

Arnold was arrested on kidnapping and armed robbery charges back in June. The Detroit Lions released him after the arrest but he found his way back to an NFL camp with the Seahawks. For now, he will have to wait to see any game action this year.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.