Atlanta Falcons’ James Pearce Jr., an edge rusher, faces an eight-game suspension at the start of the 2026 season for breaching the league’s personal conduct regulations, as declared by the NFL on Friday. The suspension stems from Pearce’s arrest in February following a dispute with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, in Doral, Florida. Pearce faces charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking. However, these charges could be dropped if he complies with a pretrial intervention program that mandates random drug tests, staying away from Jackson, and maintaining a clean legal record for a year.
Pearce remains eligible for pre-season games and team activities until the suspension begins on August 30. He can potentially return on Monday, November 2, after the Falcons’ Week 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the subsequent match against the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain.
The Falcons’ defense has suffered setbacks with Jalon Walker’s season-ending ACL injury. The remaining pass rushers include Christian Harris, JD Bertrand, Samson Ebukam, Kendal Daniels, and Bralen Trice, with Cameron Sample added post-Walker’s injury.
In addition to Pearce, the NFL issued suspensions to Dorance Armstrong of the Commanders, Nazeeh Johnson of the Titans, and Phidarian Mathis of the Bills. Armstrong faces a one-game suspension for personal conduct policy violation, missing the season opener against Philadelphia on September 13. Johnson received a six-game suspension for performance-enhancer policy violation, while Mathis was suspended for three games for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.
Both Johnson and Mathis are permitted to practice and play until August 30, the deadline for NFL teams to finalize their 53-player rosters. Johnson can return for the Titans’ game against Cleveland on October 25, while Mathis is eligible for Buffalo’s match against New England on October 4.
Johnson, with three prior NFL seasons with the Chiefs, joined the Titans on July 27. Mathis, 28, played six games with the Bills last season after featuring in 23 games with Washington in his first three NFL seasons.