Atlanta Falcons’ James Pearce Jr., a prominent edge rusher, is facing an eight-game suspension at the start of the upcoming 2026 season due to a breach of the league’s personal conduct regulations. The league made this announcement on Friday.
Pearce’s suspension stems from an incident in February involving a domestic altercation with his ex-girlfriend, Rickea Jackson, a WNBA player, in Doral, Fla. The charges against Pearce include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing from law enforcement, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking. However, these charges may be dropped if Pearce complies with a pretrial intervention program. This program mandates random drug testing, maintaining distance from Jackson, and staying clear of legal issues for a year.
The suspension will take effect on Aug. 30, following which Pearce will be ineligible to play until Monday, Nov. 2, after the Falcons’ Week 8 match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Subsequently, the team is scheduled to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain.
Recently, the Falcons’ pass rush has suffered a setback following Jalon Walker’s season-ending ACL injury. The defensive lineup now includes Christian Harris, JD Bertrand, Samson Ebukam, Kendal Daniels, and Bralen Trice, with Cameron Sample joining the team post-Walker’s injury.
In the 2025 draft, the Falcons traded back to the No. 26 pick to secure Pearce, a former standout from Tennessee. Pearce played a pivotal role in enhancing the team’s pass rush, leading with 10 1/2 sacks in his rookie season.
Apart from Pearce, the NFL also issued suspensions to three other players on the same day. Commanders’ Dorance Armstrong received a one-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. He will miss the Commanders’ season opener against Philadelphia on Sept. 13.
Furthermore, Tennessee Titans’ Nazeeh Johnson faced a six-game suspension for breaching the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, while Buffalo Bills’ Phidarian Mathis received a three-game suspension for contravening the substances of abuse policy.
As per league rules, these players can continue practicing and playing with their respective teams until Aug. 30, the date by which NFL teams must finalize their 53-player rosters. Johnson is set to return for the Titans’ home game against Cleveland on Oct. 25, while Mathis can make a comeback for Buffalo’s home game versus New England on Oct. 4.
Johnson, with three prior seasons in the NFL, all with the Kansas City Chiefs, recently signed with the Titans just before the commencement of training camp. On the other hand, Mathis, aged 28, played six games for the Bills last season after featuring in 23 games for Washington during his initial three NFL seasons.