The legal troubles hovering over Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs since May have finally abated. But he could now face severe punishment from the NFL, which could derail his 2026 campaign.

“Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property during an appearance Thursday in Brown County (Wisconsin) Court,” reported ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “He was convicted of the battery charge and fined $1,000, and the court accepted a deferred judgment agreement on the charge of criminal damage to property. A follow-up court hearing was set for Sept. 10, 2027.”

The no contest plea had been accepted by Judge Marc A. Hammer on the condition that five demands for the court on Jacobs be met, per Demovsky.

1. No further criminal acts;
2. No contact with the victim;
3. Supervision;
4. Counseling;
5. Pay restitution to the victim

Following his no-contest plea, Jacobs also issued a statement owning up to the incident in court.

“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility,” Jacobs said.

Now, in light of the charges, the NFL placed Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on August 30th. While his name remains on that list, Jacobs isn’t allowed to practice or attend games, but still gets paid. With his court plea out of the way, the league can now remove him from that list, review his case, and hand him a suspension.

Whenever domestic violence cases arise before the league, it responds by suspending the player for six games. If the suspension does go through now, Jacobs would lose out on his game checks, while also damaging the Packers’ 2026 campaign. For now, there has been no official decision from the league, but that could change soon if their review is complete.

“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter, which remains under review of the personal conduct policy,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a recent statement. “There is no change to his status as he remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.”

The Packers are all set to go up against the Minnesota Vikings this week for their regular season opener. If Josh Jacobs is still on the exempt list when the Packers take the field, MarShawn Lloyd will lead the room as the primary running back. That remains the case if the league hands Jacobs a suspension as well.

For now, both Jacobs and the NFL have a lot of questions left to be answered: how long before the league hands down its decision, how long the suspension will last, and how the Packers are going to move once Jacobs does come back from suspension.