Josh Jacobs is being formally charged in connection with his May arrest, but the picture is much less severe than it initially looked.
The Brown County, Wisconsin District Attorney charged the Green Bay Packers running back with two misdemeanors: battery and criminal damage to property. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer first reported the news. Jacobs was originally booked on five charges, including a felony strangulation count. That charge is not on the formal filing.
That is a meaningful step down. Felony strangulation is a career-altering charge. Two misdemeanors is a case that gets resolved and moves on. Jacobs’ legal team almost certainly worked out the reduction with the DA in exchange for a plea path or cooperation. The details are not public, but the outcome is what matters.
Now the story shifts to the NFL. The league can suspend Jacobs under the Personal Conduct Policy regardless of what happens in court. Roger Goodell has been consistent about not tying league discipline to legal outcomes. Ezekiel Elliott got six games with no conviction. Deshaun Watson got 11 games with no criminal charges filed at all. Jacobs is looking at a real discipline decision.
The NFL has said it is still investigating and there is no timetable. Historically these things take months, and the league sometimes waits for the legal case to fully resolve before announcing anything. A suspension could come during the season or be tabled until 2027.
For Green Bay, the football stakes are big. Jacobs rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first year with the Packers in 2024. Last year he had 929 yards and 13 touchdowns behind an offensive line that struggled. He is the workhorse. If the NFL suspends him for 4-6 games, Green Bay’s ground game gets thin fast. Their playoff hopes lean on his availability.
Emanuel Wilson would be the primary replacement, and he has shown flashes but not the same volume ceiling. The Packers do not have an obvious plug-and-play alternative. This is the guy.
The larger question is about Jacobs’ long-term future in Green Bay. He signed a four-year, $48 million deal in 2024 with $12.5 million guaranteed at signing. If the Packers wanted an out, this situation gives them cover to explore one. But cutting a productive back with real money still on the books is not the Green Bay style. They tend to try to keep the player, work through the discipline, and get value out of the contract.
For now, Jacobs is available. He has been practicing. The season starts in two weeks. The rest of this story will play out over months. The Packers just have to hope the NFL waits long enough for Jacobs to make his usual impact on the field first.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
