The NFL is set to take Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper off the commissioner’s exempt list on Friday, according to Mike Klis, clearing the way for him to be eligible in Week 7.
That move follows a change in Cooper’s court schedule. Earlier this week, Klis reported that Cooper’s jury trial was pushed from November 10 to March 2-4, which opened the door for him to be removed from the exempt list and return to game action.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has been following the case closely. “We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy.”
Cooper was arrested twice last spring. The first arrest came after an alleged domestic violence incident tied to an altercation with his girlfriend over cheating allegations. Later that same week, he was arrested again and hit with four additional charges: two for domestic violence, one for harassment based on repeated phone calls, and one for violating a protection order issued after the initial arrest.
The Broncos placed Cooper on the commissioner’s exempt list while the domestic violence case worked through the legal process.
Cooper, 28, came to Denver after a standout run at Ohio State, where he was a two-year starter and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. The Broncos selected him with the No. 239 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
He was in the final year of a four-year deal worth $3,580,672, which included a $100,672 signing bonus, before Denver signed him to a four-year, $60 million extension in November 2024.
On the field in 2025, Cooper played in all 17 games and finished with 50 tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight sacks, and four pass defenses.
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