Few players have fallen so far so fast in the eyes of a fan base as the Packers‘ Jaire Alexander, the quirky and eccentric cornerback who established himself as one of the best–and highest-paid–defensive backs in the game before injuries and diminished play settled in.
While there was hope that, perhaps, Alexander’s time in Green Bay could be resurrected after a rough season in which he played just seven games for the second straight year, though, Alexander is being released by the Packers, according to a report from insider Ian Rapoport of NFL media.
From Rapoport on X/Twitter: “The #Packers are releasing star CB Jaire Alexander today, sources say.”
Alexander had skipped the Packers’ voluntary workouts over the past three weeks, but was prepared to report on Monday for the mandatory June minicamp. That’s when the Packers decided to pull the plug on his potential return, a sharp fall for a guy who was a Pro Bowler in his last two healthy seasons, in 2023 and 2021.
Jaire Alexander a Mixed Bag of Talent, Injuries
Alexander played his last game with the Packers on November 17 of last season, against the Bears. He appeared on only 10 snaps, though, as it was apparent that he was not longer in the team’s plans. He tried to work his way through a knee injury throughout the year, very often practicing with the team though leaving his status clouded until near game day.
Eventually, he was shut down and had knee surgery after the regular season. The previous year, when Alexander also played only seven games, he dealt with a shoulder injury. But he played well in both postseason games for the Packers that year, leading to some hope he might be back on the upswing in 2024. But that didn’t happen.
The Packers were on the hook for $17.5 million of the four-year, $84 million deal they gave Alexander, plus nearly $20 million for next year. Because of dead cap rules, they won’t be off the hook for those payouts, but they’re expected to save $17.1 million this year off the cap and $17.5 million for next year, according to Spotrac.
Packers Cornerbacks Are a Big Concern
The decision on Alexander does end months of equivocation on whether he would be back. Speaking about the cornerback situation last month, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said, “I think we’ll leave that one up to see what happens rather than talk in any hypotheticals, to answer that fairly.
“Whenever everything pans out and we figure out who’s here, we will do the very best we can to put them in great positions and making plays. And when I find out we’ll do that.”
Now, Hafley’s hand is considerably weakened. The Packers also let go of first-round pick Eric Stokes, but brought in Nate Hobbs from the Raiders on a $48 million contract. Hobbs had a PFF grade of 61.4 last season, which ranked 72nd out of 116 corners.
The rest of the cornerback room is down to Hobb, plus backups Carrington Valentine and Kisean Nixon, with relative unknowns–the Packers used a seventh-round pick on Micah Robinson–filling out the depth chart. The Packers could yet seek a DB in a trade or free agency, as they now have more than $40 million cap space.
Cutting Alexander was probably the right thing to do. Replacing him, though, will not be easy.
