StickToTheModel
Commissioner's Exempt List, Explained
What is the Commissioner's Exempt List?
The Commissioner's Exempt List is paid leave that only the NFL commissioner can order. A player is placed on it while a criminal case or league investigation is pending. He gets his full salary, he does not count against the 53-man roster, and he cannot practice or play. It is not a suspension: any discipline comes later, under the personal conduct policy, once the case is resolved.
Updated Nov. 2, 2026.
Who is on the Commissioner's Exempt List right now
Updated Nov. 2, 2026. Every player below is paid in full, sits outside the 53-man roster, and cannot practice or play until the commissioner removes him.
| Player | Pos | Team | Placed | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrion Arnold | CB | Seattle Seahawks | Aug. 30, 2026 | Faces eight felony counts, four for kidnapping and four for armed robbery, from a February incident in Tampa. Detroit released him after his June arrest; Seattle signed him Aug. 29 knowing he would go straight onto the list. Co-defendant Boakai Hilton pleaded guilty to all eight counts in October, took 10 years and agreed to testify; Arnold denies any involvement and his case is pending. He may attend meetings but cannot practice or play. |
Who came off the Commissioner's Exempt List this season
Removed by the commissioner and back on the roster. The league's review can stay open after a player comes off, and his weeks on the list can count toward any suspension.
| Player | Pos | Team | On the list | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Jacobs | RB | Green Bay Packers | Aug. 30, 2026 to Oct. 19, 2026 | Pleaded no contest in September to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage charges from a May incident near his Green Bay home. The league announced Oct. 16 it would take him off the list, and he was eligible for Week 7 against the Lions on Oct. 25. The NFL's own review is still open; his seven weeks on the list can count toward any suspension. |
| Jonathon Cooper | OLB | Denver Broncos | Aug. 30, 2026 to Oct. 16, 2026 | Arrested twice in June on domestic violence charges, including a felony strangulation count; pleaded not guilty. His trial moved from Nov. 10 to March 2027 with a pretrial hearing Feb. 19, and the league took him off the list rather than hold him out all season. He played Week 7 at Arizona on Oct. 25. The NFL's review is ongoing. |
How the Commissioner's Exempt List works
Only Commissioner Roger Goodell can put a player on the exempt list or take him off. The league's own manual calls it a special status for unusual circumstances, and no exemption is automatic. In practice it is used when a player faces a violent-crime charge and the league wants him off the field before the legal process, which can take months, plays out.
While he is on the list the player is paid in full, his contract keeps running, and his cap hit still counts against the team. The team gets his roster spot back, since exempt players sit outside the 53, but it keeps paying for a player it cannot use. With the club's permission he can be at the facility for meetings, individual workouts and medical treatment. He cannot practice, cannot travel with the team and cannot play.
There is no fixed length. He comes off when the commissioner removes him, usually after the case ends or the league finishes its own review. At that point the league decides whether to suspend him under the personal conduct policy, and time already spent on the exempt list can be credited against that suspension.
Exempt list vs. suspension, IR, PUP and NFI
| Status | Who decides | Paid? | On the 53? | Can practice? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Exempt List | Commissioner | Yes, full salary | No | No | Pending criminal case or league investigation |
| Suspension | Commissioner (personal conduct or substance policies) | No, game checks forfeited | No | No | Discipline after a finding of a violation |
| Injured reserve (IR) | Team | Yes | No | Once designated to return | Football injury; out at least four games |
| Physically unable to perform (PUP) | Team | Yes | No | No, until activated | Football injury carried into camp; regular-season PUP means four games minimum |
| Non-football injury (NFI) | Team | At the team's discretion | No | No, until activated | Injury or illness not suffered playing for the team |
Notable Commissioner's Exempt List cases
- Adrian Peterson, 2014. The Vikings put Peterson on the list on Sept. 17, 2014, after his indictment for injury to a child. He missed the final 15 games, was paid throughout, and was suspended for the rest of the season that November.
- Greg Hardy, 2014. Placed on the list the same day as Peterson while his domestic violence conviction was under appeal. He sat out 15 games on full pay, and the league suspended him 10 games (cut to four on appeal) the following spring.
- Deshaun Watson: never on it. Watson was not placed on the exempt list in 2021 or 2022. The league said the absence of criminal charges made it unlikely; the Texans simply kept him inactive, and in 2022 he was suspended 11 games instead.
- Ray Rice: never on it. Rice was suspended two games in July 2014, then released by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely on Sept. 8, 2014, after the elevator video surfaced. He never went on the exempt list; the Peterson and Hardy cases nine days later were the first time the league leaned on it this way.
Who is on the commissioner's exempt list right now?
As of Nov. 2, 2026: Seahawks CB Terrion Arnold (placed Aug. 30, 2026). Each is being paid in full, sits outside the 53-man roster, and cannot practice or play while his case is pending. Came off the list this season: Josh Jacobs (off Oct. 19, 2026) and Jonathon Cooper (off Oct. 16, 2026).
Do players get paid on the commissioner's exempt list?
Yes. A player on the exempt list gets his full salary and benefits, his contract keeps running, and his cap hit still counts against the team. The club pays for a player it cannot use.
Is the commissioner's exempt list a suspension?
No. It is paid leave while a case is pending, not discipline. A suspension costs the player game checks; the exempt list does not. Any suspension is decided later under the personal conduct policy, and time on the exempt list can be credited against it.
How long can a player stay on the commissioner's exempt list?
There is no set limit. A player stays on it until the commissioner takes him off, which usually follows the end of the criminal case or the league's own investigation. Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy each spent 15 games on it in 2014.
Does a player on the exempt list count against the 53-man roster?
No. Exempt players sit outside the 53-man limit, so the team can fill the spot. His salary still counts against the salary cap.
Can a player on the exempt list practice or be at the facility?
He cannot practice, travel or play. With the team's permission he can be at the facility for meetings, individual workouts and medical treatment, which is the arrangement Terrion Arnold has in Seattle.
Are Josh Jacobs and Jonathon Cooper still on the commissioner's exempt list?
No. The NFL took Jonathon Cooper off the list on Oct. 16, 2026, after his trial was pushed to March 2027, and Josh Jacobs on Oct. 19 after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges. Both played in Week 7 on Oct. 25. The league's review of each case is still open, and the weeks they spent on the list can count toward any suspension it hands down.
Who decides to put a player on the commissioner's exempt list?
Only the commissioner. A team can ask, and in 2014 Greg Hardy agreed to be placed on it, but the league's manual says no exemption is automatic and the commissioner alone sets whether it has an end date.
See It In Action
- Run the Seahawks front office without Terrion Arnold (Be A GM)
- Every team's roster and cap
- NFL tools hub
Category: Roster Management. Part of the StickToTheModel NFL Encyclopedia.