Packers running back Josh Jacobs is charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, but head coach Matt LaFleur expects Jacobs to remain with the team.
“I fully anticipate him being a member of our team,” LaFleur said of Jacobs after Friday night’s preseason finale.
Asked about the court process with Jacobs facing charges, LaFleur said the Packers will respect that process but believe Jacobs will be part of their team.
“I think you’ve got to let everything play out, but I anticipate him being a member of our football team,” LaFleur said.
Because the woman who accused Jacobs of battery was his girlfriend, the NFL may invoke its typical approach to domestic violence cases, which could include putting Jacobs on paid leave while the legal process plays out, and then suspending him six games if there is a finding against him. That could mean Jacobs missing a significant period of time, and LaFleur said he doesn’t know whether Jacobs will be on the field Week One.
“I can’t really comment on that, because I don’t know,” LaFleur said.
Packers Clips
Packers third-string quarterback Kyle McCord had an excellent game in the preseason finale, throwing for four touchdown passes and leading a fourth-quarter comeback as the Packers beat the Cardinals 42-38. And it was Packers first-string quarterback Jordan Love’s voice in McCord’s helmet during that comeback.
Love was given the play calling duties by Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who delegated the duties to offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich for the first half and surprised Love by making it his job in the second half.
“Steno called the first half, did an outstanding job, and then we had J-Love call the second half,” LaFleur said. “That was pretty cool, to hear his demeanor on the headset and how calm, cool and collected he was throughout the entire game, especially during those critical moments. That’s what we see on the field, too.”
It was the first time Love had called plays, and LaFleur didn’t tell him he would have the job until they were on the field before the game.
“I just went up to him. It’s not like he had time to prep. I was just like, ‘Hey, you want to call the second half?’” LaFleur said. “He said, ‘Sure. Yeah, I’ll do it.’ And he did it and he did an outstanding job.”
McCord also did an outstanding job, and might have given the Packers a tough decision for the 53-player roster. Love is the No. 1 quarterback and Tyrod Taylor is No. 2, but the Packers might have to consider keeping three quarterbacks rather than risking another team claiming McCord before Green Bay can put him on the practice squad. Love helped McCord look good.
The misdemeanor charges against Packers running back Josh Jacobs arise from a domestic incident. And a portion of the incident apparently was captured by the surveillance system at Jacobs’s house.
Via the incident report posted by Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, “Jacobs grabbed [the victim] and threw her to the ground and she struck her head, suffering an injury. Jacobs then took her phone from her while she was on the ground. [She] laid on the ground for a while and then struggled to walk back into the house.” The incident report strongly suggests that this altercation appears on the video.
As everyone learned nearly 12 years ago in the Ray Rice case, if video exists the video eventually will emerge. And seeing the video will spark a much stronger action than knowing the video exists.
It could be enough to prompt the NFL to place Jacobs on paid leave, even though the charges are misdemeanors and not felonies. Depending on the specific content of the video, the Packers could also release him.
For now, the Packers have issued a predictably perfunctory statement.
“We are aware of the charges brought against Josh Jacobs,” the team said. “We will continue to cooperate with the NFL as we work through the process. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Jacobs’s lawyers also have issued a statement, which omits the typical insistence that their client is innocent: “The Brown County District Attorney has reviewed evidence and elected to file misdemeanor charges against Josh that do not include domestic violence. The allegations will be addressed in court, and not in the media. Mr. Jacobs respects the District Attorney’s office and the process it followed.”
Although the Personal Conduct Policy applies to a wide range of off-field misconduct, the league typically takes a stronger position in cases involving domestic violence; the fact that Jacobs’s lawyers claim the charges of battery and criminal damage to property “do not include domestic violence” does not change the domestic nature of the incident.
Regardless of whether Jacobs is placed on paid leave, he’s subject to a baseline suspension of six games — based either on any resolution pursuant to which Jacobs accepts responsibility for the situation or through an independent investigation that the league conducts.
The Lions gave Jahmyr Gibbs a new contract this month that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Packers outside linebacker Micah Parsons thinks that was a wise investment.
“He’s the fastest person I’ve ever seen on the field,” Parsons said of Gibbs as part of the NFL’s Top 100 Players feature.
Parsons has seen Gibbs on the field three times: Twice last year when the Packers faced the Lions, and once in 2023, when Parsons and the Cowboys faced Gibbs as a rookie. Gibbs hasn’t had big numbers in any of those games, which Parsons attributes to the whole defense being focused on him.
“You need 11 people running to the ball every play,” Parsons said. “If you don’t rally tackle, there’s no way you’re beating the Lions with him at running back.”
The Packers and Lions play in Week 7 and Week 18 this season. Parsons says he and his teammates will have their hands full.
“You’re watching the tape like, ‘We’ve got this dude again this week?’” Parsons said. “He’s for real.”
Packers running back Josh Jacobs has been formally charged with two misdemeanors related to his May arrest in Wisconsin.
According to multiple reports, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office has charged Jacobs with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Those were two of the five charges that Jacobs initially faced in the arrest, which came after a domestic disturbance call, but prosecutors are not moving forward with a felony charge of strangulation and suffocation or two other misdemeanors.
Jacobs has been available to practice and play for the Packers since the arrest, but he could face discipline under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy as a result of the arrest.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst said at a press conference this week that the Packers have prepared for a possible suspension during the 2026 season.
The Packers are adding some depth to an offensive position.
Tight end Jonnu Smith is signing with Green Bay on a one-year deal, according to Jordan Schultz of the Schultz Report.
Smith, 31, spent last season with Pittsburgh, appearing in all 17 games. He caught 38 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns.
A third-round pick in 2017, Smith has appeared in 141 games with 91 starts for the Titans, Patriots, Falcons, Dolphins, and Steelers. He’s caught 345 passes for 3,52 yards with 30 touchdowns in his career.
Smith has not missed a game since 2022, playing all 17 games in each of the last three seasons.
There have been a number of instances when big hits in joint practices touch off fights, but that didn’t happen in Green Bay on Wednesday.
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was on the receiving end of a late hit by a Cardinals defender that led to a flag being thrown, but Kraft’s reaction was positive rather than negative. Kraft is coming back from the torn ACL he suffered last season and said he appreciated the opportunity to take a hit ahead of Week 1.
“I was smiling. That was a good hit,” Kraft said, via the team’s website. “I haven’t had a hit like that since November 2. That was an opportunity for me right there to wake up, season’s here.”
Kraft also proclaimed himself ready for as much work as the Packers want to give him when they head to Minnesota for the season opener.
“I felt free out there today,” Kraft said. “I’ve gotten to the point now with my attitude for my health now where I feel good and I’m confident where I’m going to stay out there and you guys take me out when I need to come out, when I’m tired. If not, I’m not doing the rep count stuff anymore. You can pull me off the field. I’m gonna try to be out there as much as I can.”
Kraft’s desire for a contract extension still needs to be sorted out, but everything else is on track for the tight end.
Throughout the offseason and training camp, the Packers and tight end Tucker Kraft have maintained a desire to reach a deal on a contract extension.
It has not happened to this point. But General Manager Brian Gutekunst noted on Wednesday that the two sides are still working toward a resolution.
“We would love to have that done. These things are complicated at times,” Gutekunst said, via Ryan Wood of USA Today. “Whether we accomplish that before the beginning of the season, we’ll see. We’re excited for what he’s going to do for us both this year and in the future.”
Kraft, 25, is returning from a torn ACL suffered midseason in 2025.
He was in the midst of a breakout year when the injury occurred, having caught 32 passes for 489 yards with six touchdowns in eight games.
A third-round pick in 2023, Kraft is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He has made 113 receptions for 1,551 yards with 15 touchdowns in his young career.
The NFL’s second wave of “Rivalries” uniforms were unveiled on Tuesday.
All the teams from the NFC North and AFC South will wear the uniforms at some point during the 2026 season for a home game against a divisional opponent. They can be worn for games during the 2027 and 2028 seasons as well.
The first game to feature the new threads will come in Week 3 when the Colts don their new “Anvil Strike” look against the Texans. The Packers will debut their alternates in Week 5 against the Bears while Week 8 will see both the Jaguars and Lions throw on the new uniforms.
Week 10 will bring the Titans into the fold and the Texans will sport their alternate look when the Colts visit in Week 11. The Vikings will debut their rivalry outfits against the Lions in Week 15 and the Bears will be the last team to join the fun when they host Green Bay in Week 16.
At least one J. Love will not be on the field this week.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters in his Monday press conference that rookie running back Jeremiyah Love will still be sidelined this week, Arizona heads to Green Bay for a joint practice and Friday preseason game.
“He will not be on the field doing any sort of practice or anything like that right now,” LaFleur said.
Love has been out since suffering a high-ankle sprain during the Cardinals’ preseason matchup against the Raiders on Aug. 13. Arizona is reportedly hopeful Love will be able to return by Week 1.
Love had 14 touches in that game — 11 rushing attempts, three catches — for a total of 72 yards.
