Expectations are the Green Bay Packers will look to move on from cornerback Jaire Alexander during the 2025 NFL offseason, but could they trade him to acquire another missing piece for their offense — a No. 1 wide receiver?
Bleacher Report’s Kurt Benkert — a former Packers quarterback — broke down some “win-win” trade packages he believes could be in play for NFL teams during the 2025 offseason and proposed an intriguing option for the Packers to consider with Alexander.
Acknowledging the writing on the wall for the oft-injured Alexander, Benkert pitched the Packers shipping off their two-time All-Pro cornerback to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver DK Metcalf and the final year of his $72 million contract.
“The Packers seem like the type of organization — which I can vouch for — that will move a guy to move a guy, even if he is a star player,” Benkert said in B/R’s NFL Daily Live Show. “Now, it has been made very clear that the Packers need a No. 1 receiver, and I think that DK Metcalf is the type of receiver that warrants being a No. 1 in Green Bay.
“Get a guy that when they load the box up can block but can also win one-on-one outside as a big body, play in the cold and I think this could be a nice little swap.”
‘Strong Indications’ Jaire Alexander is Out With Packers
The uncertainty surrounding Alexander’s future with the Packers is one of the team’s most prominent storylines for the 2025 offseason, but it sounds as though it is more a matter of when and how they move on from him than if they will move on from him.
Alexander has been one of the Packers’ top defenders — when healthy — since Brian Gutekunst traded up to select him with his first draft pick as general manager in 2018, but injuries have limited the 28-year-old cornerback to just seven games in each of the past two seasons. That’s a problem for a veteran player making $21 million annually.
And it sounds as though the Packers are ready to address Alexander’s availability issue.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, “there are strong indications that Alexander’s time with the Packers will end without him playing another down.” The bigger question is whether the Packers will find a trade partner for him and outright release him; though, Alexander’s cap hits could make dealing him away somewhat difficult to pull off.
Alexander will carry cap charges of $24.9 million in 2025 and $27.3 million in 2026, per Over the Cap, but they would save roughly $17 million this year if they designated him as a post-June 1 cut — although, they wouldn’t see savings until after free agency.
DK Metcalf Trade Would Require Contract Extension
Most Packers trade hypotheticals that involve Alexander struggle to explain why a team would want to take a chance on him with his cap cost so high, but Benkert’s suggestion for a Metcalf swap with the Seahawks could potentially work out for both sides.
Metcalf will cost $31.8 million against the Seahawks’ salary cap in 2025, largely because of how they restructured his contract last offseason to create more immediate savings. Now, they are in a situation where they must decide whether they want to sign Metcalf to another contract extension — likely worth more than the $24 million annually on his current deal — or cut him loose in the interest of investing their money elsewhere.
Fortunately for the Packers, that could make the Seahawks an ideal trade partner for Alexander if they want to add a veteran upgrade to their cornerback room opposite Riq Woolen on the perimeter and alongside first-rounder Devon Witherspoon in the slot.
To make it work, though, the Packers would need to have a plan in place to work out a new deal with Metcalf. While they technically could absorb his enormous cap hit as it is, a contract extension would almost certainly lower it to a more reasonable number with the added benefit of ensuring quarterback Jordan Love has a No. 1 receiver to rely on.
