Amid charges and a pending investigation related to alleged domestic violence from back in May, the NFL announced that it had placed Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner's Exempt List
on Sunday. With the 2026 NFL regular season just about two weeks away, this is a major move that will surely ripple through Jacobs and his individual playing career, the Packers as a team this season, and much of their competition moving forward.But what exactly does being placed on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List really mean? Let's dive in and quickly explain something that is always in Roger Goodell's back pocket in player discipline issues.
In simplest terms, the exempt list means a player can't be around their team
While it's not technically a suspension, being placed on the NFL's Commissioner Exempt List
is sort of tantamount to being absent from your team. Any player on the list cannot participate in any of their team's activities (which obviously includes games). The major difference between an exempt list designation and a suspension is that a player on the exempt list is still getting paid their salary, whereas a suspended player is not.
There is no set time limit to remaining on the exempt list
In effect, an exempt list designation and subsequent stay are entirely at the discretion of the NFL commissioner, in this case Roger Goodell. It is only for special circumstances and is completely out of the purview of all 32 teams. Put another way, only the commissioner has the authority to use it, and only the commissioner has the authority to control it.
More from NFL.com:
"The Exempt List is a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances. The List includes those players who have been declared by the Commissioner to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit. Only the Commissioner has the authority to place a player on the Exempt List; clubs have no such authority, and no exemption, regardless of circumstances, is automatic. The Commissioner also has the authority to determine in advance whether a player's time on the Exempt List will be finite or will continue until the Commissioner deems the exemption should be lifted and the player returned to the Active List."
That seems simple enough.
Could a player on the exempt list still face a formal punishment from the NFL after their stay?
Absolutely! I don't see why a player's exempt list stay would factor at all into whether they get something like a suspension. Think of it this way. The exempt list is purely a tool of the NFL commissioner to ensure a player isn't visible to the public during a sensitive investigation/situation. Once said investigation/situation is resolved, that's when a formal punishment could come around the bend.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What is the Commissioner Exempt List in the NFL?
