When will players on paid leave return?

Published August 31, 2026 01:47 PM On Sunday, the NFL placed three players on paid leave, officially known as the Commissioner Exempt List. The question now becomes: When will they return?Under the Personal Conduct Policy, placement on paid leave “will generally last until the Disciplinary Officer and/or the league makes a disciplinary decision and any appeal from that discipline is fully resolved.” Because the league doesn’t finalize its disciplinary decisions until after the player’s criminal case ends, paid leave continues at least through the conclusion of the prosecution.It doesn’t always work that way. In 2024, Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers missed seven games on paid leave. He was then reinstated before his case ended. In January 2025, a jury acquitted him of domestic assault charges.So why did he return from paid leave before the case ended? That was never explained.The fact that it happened for Peppers means that it could possibly happen for Packers running back Josh Jacobs, Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper, and/or Seahawks cornerback Terrion Arnold. Some in league circles believe the Peppers case is an indication that the NFL will, in some cases, treat paid leave like an advance suspension, with the player (if later found responsible) getting credit for the games missed and returning the salary earned during the paid absence.What that means for Jacobs, Cooper, and Arnold remains to be seen. Given that Jacobs is facing a misdemeanor battery charge, and in light of the fact that the baseline suspension for domestic violence is six games, it’s possible he’ll be reinstated after six games, even if his case is still pending.It’s not a bad approach. Indefinite paid leave pending the resolution of the case puts extra pressure on the player to do a plea deal, and it incentivizes the prosecution to drag its feet. Yes, the player is getting paid. But he’s not playing. He wants to play.Cooper’s situation is similar, although he’s facing a felony charge. Arnold’s case doesn’t involve domestic violence, but it includes eight serious felonies and a potential sentence of life in prison.Regardless, the presumption that the player on paid leave won’t be back until his criminal case ends isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, as the Peppers case demonstrated. Any of the three players placed on paid leave could be back before their cases end.