Jonathan Cooper has pleaded not guilty and is now eligible to play with the Denver Broncos. He returns after spending time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List following arrests and serious charges related to domestic violence. The development might not be welcomed by female Broncos fans, but Cooper still had a message for them.
“Honestly . . . that’s hard,” Cooper said, when asked what he’d say to female fans. “I feel like relationships are difficult, [but] no excuses on my end. I do apologize for anybody’s feelings, truthfully, because you have to be associated with me. I’m a grown man. I’m able to take things on the chin, and I understand the concern, the awareness, how serious these matters are. The legal matters will take care of themselves.”
“Nobody’s perfect, but there are no excuses,” Cooper added. “And I do hold myself accountable, and things are going to sort themselves out, I promise that.”
Jonathon Cooper is back at practice. The Broncos outside linebacker returned Wednesday after missing the first six weeks on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which followed his two arrests on domestic violence charges. Those arrests came on June 4 and June 11.
The charges stem from two disputes with his former girlfriend, both of which began as arguments over a cell phone. He is also charged with felony second-degree assault by strangulation. Cooper showed up at his partner’s home on June 11, which was considered a violation of a protective order.
He was placed on the exempt list on August 30. The next day, August 31, he pleaded not guilty to all five charges against him.
Wednesday was his first chance to speak with the media since the arrests. He wouldn’t answer specific questions about the case, which is set for trial in March next year.
The NFL announced recently that it was taking Cooper off the exempt list, which cleared him to rejoin the team after he sat out the first six games of the 2026 season. Still, the league is not finished.
“The NFL initiated an investigation under the personal conduct policy following Cooper’s arrests in June,” a league statement reads, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “The league’s review remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Cooper’s roster status.”
That means discipline under the personal conduct policy remains possible once the legal case wraps up.
There is a financial wrinkle too. The six weeks Cooper spent on the exempt list could count toward any future suspension. However, suspensions under the personal conduct policy are unpaid. If he is suspended, he would have to give back the weekly game checks he collected while on the list.
Head coach Sean Payton has left the matter to the NFL’s investigation and the legal process. He said Cooper has done “the work” away from the field, and the team set guidelines for him after the arrests, including therapy.
After Wednesday’s practice, Payton said Cooper’s return was “just getting [him] acclimated.”
Cooper played in all three of Denver’s preseason games and was even named a captain for the final exhibition. Since the regular season began, he has reportedly been around the facility and sitting in meetings.
As a player, he has delivered. Over 81 games with the Broncos, he has 31.5 sacks, eight of them last season, and he has started every game for three straight years.
How he performs from here could go a long way toward shaping the rest of his season.