As legal charges and damning video evidence loom, Green Bay management awaits clarity while Matt LaFleur stands by his star playmaker during an uncertain roster crisis.
The Green Bay Packers are uncertain what the future looks like with running back Josh Jacobs being put on the commissioner’s exempt list before the start of the regular season.
Jacobs was formally charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property last week by the Brown County District Attorney, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. The charges were in connection to an alleged incident in May. The criminal complaint states there is video footage from a camera system from a garage that "corroborates" the alleged victim's statement.
On Tuesday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that the team had not seen the video. Green Bay was waiting to see the legal process work itself out before the Packers "figure that stuff out."
Gutekunst sidestepped a question about whether the Packers would need to see the video before deciding Jacobs' fate with the team, saying again that Green Bay would "lean on the legal process."
Gutekunst's answers weren't out of the norm of how league general managers speak for this type of situation.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said he would trust what Jacobs told him in the meantime.
"There were many conversations obviously, and certainly don't know all the details," LaFleur said. "But what he tells me, I believe him and I trust him. I'm going to do that until proven otherwise."
Jacobs, 28, signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers in free agency in 2024. He rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns that season while adding 36 receptions for 342 yards and one touchdown in the passing game.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and added 36 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown in the passing game. The three-time Pro Bowl running back was expected to be a key part of the offense this year.
The question about Jacobs' future with Green Bay comes amid other significant problems for the roster.
The Packers will be without Micah Parsons for at least the first four weeks of the regular season as he begins the campaign on the PUP list. Parsons is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season.
