A prominent Green Bay Packers analyst called Sunday for the team to release running back Josh Jacobs if the veteran remains unavailable until mid-November, arguing there is little financial or roster sense in keeping him on the payroll.
Peter Bukowski, host of Locked On Packers, posted that the club should cut Jacobs rather than continue paying him through an extended absence.
The comments came hours after the NFL placed Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list. The designation means Jacobs cannot practice or attend games while the league reviews charges of misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property stemming from a May incident at his home.
Jacobs is scheduled for an initial court appearance Nov. 17. Time spent on the exempt list can later be credited toward any suspension the league imposes.
Jacobs has been one of the NFL’s most productive running backs since arriving in Green Bay. In 2024 he rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns on 301 carries. Last season he added 929 rushing yards and 13 scores on 234 attempts despite missing two games.
Over seven NFL seasons the 28-year-old has accumulated 7,803 rushing yards and 74 rushing touchdowns. He also has 2,072 receiving yards. In 2022 with Las Vegas he led the league with 1,653 rushing yards.
Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers in March 2024. His 2026 cap number is approximately $14.5 million, with a base salary of $10.2 million. Releasing him now would create a $6.25 million dead-cap charge but generate more than $8 million in net cap savings.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Friday he still expected Jacobs to remain with the team.
“If Jacobs is going to be out until mid-November, then just cut him,” Bukowski wrote. “There’s no reason to keep paying him considering they were always likely to cut him in the spring anyway.”
“I fully anticipate him being a member of our team,” LaFleur told reporters.
The Packers prepared for Jacobs’ absence by trading a 2028 sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh for running back Kaleb Johnson on Sunday. MarShawn Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick, is expected to start. Lloyd has appeared in only one regular-season game in two years because of a series of lower-body injuries and an appendicitis. Lloyd rushed for 820 yards and nine touchdowns in his final college season at USC. He has stayed healthy throughout this training camp. Several fans and analysts echoed Bukowski’s view that the Packers should move on rather than carry a high-priced veteran who may not play until late in the season. Others noted the league rarely issues season-long unpaid suspensions for misdemeanor charges and that Jacobs could return after a shorter ban. Jacobs’ attorneys said the exempt-list placement is an administrative step, not a final ruling, and that their client respects the process and looks forward to returning. The Packers open the season Sept. 13 at Minnesota. Jacobs will not be on the initial 53-man roster.
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