Jacobs is due back with the Green Bay Packers on Monday, when the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List designation attached to him is scheduled to be lifted. With that ruling in place, he can join practice immediately and will be on the roster for the Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions.
Following the league's ruling, Jacobs' legal team — Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff, and Richard A. Schonfeld — issued a prepared statement indicating that Jacobs had spent the preceding months working on personal development, that he takes ownership of what occurred, and that he looks forward to returning to the field alongside his teammates. According to a statement attributed to Josh, the backing he has received from teammates, coaches, the Packers organisation, and the fanbase has meant a great deal to him.
That prepared statement gives Jacobs a ready-made position to direct reporters toward whenever questions about the pending legal matters arise after his return to the facility.
A no-contest plea to misdemeanor battery and property damage charges — both tied to a May 23 altercation with a former girlfriend — was entered by him on September 10. A fine tied to the matter was paid by him, and a separate lawsuit targeting the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department was filed in an effort to keep footage of the confrontation from public view.
With a six-game ban already served and court proceedings still ongoing, the league determined that sufficient information was available to reinstate the player, having held off on a final ruling until the video footage became available.
Midway through a four-year, $48 million deal struck upon his departure from the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacobs is now into that agreement's third year. Heading into the remainder of this season, the Packers are anticipated to rely on him as a roster contributor, even though releasing him after the year concludes would open roughly $13 million in salary-cap room.
Over five seasons on the Las Vegas roster, his carry totals added up to 5,545 yards on the ground. During his opening Green Bay campaign, 301 carries translated into 1,329 rushing yards, while the year that followed brought 234 attempts yielding 929 yards on the ground.
At 4.0 yards per carry across that span, that output would represent a level above what Green Bay's backfield has produced of late. The backfield roster carries limited depth at this point.
While Lloyd paces the backfield in carries gained on the ground, his per-carry return of 2.8 yards places him below the league average for ball-carriers. Through five weeks of play, Johnson has logged 27 rushing attempts — placing him second on the team in carries — while posting a per-carry average of 3.9 yards. Placed on injured reserve, Brooks had logged 15 rushing attempts for a total of 70 yards.