On Thursday night, cornerback Jaire Alexander will miss his sixth game of the season — almost seven, if you consider that he barely played against the Chicago Bears in Week 11. Knee and groin injuries limited his availability this season, even though his performance when on the field is still pretty good.
However, injuries are not something new for Alexander. He missed 13 games in 2021 and 10 last year. Shoulder, groin, and knee have been frequent issues.
For now, the Packers can only hope that Jaire Alexander gets back as soon as possible to be a part of the roster in the stretch run. For the future, though, harder questions will have to be answered.
Contract and age
Jaire Alexander was a first-round pick by the Packers in 2018. He was good basically from the get go, and generated a huge surplus value for Green Bay during his rookie deal. He signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Packers in 2022, tying him with the team through the 2026 season.
Alexander was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro twice, in 2020 and 2022. Not coincidentally, these are the only two seasons since 2020 in which he was fully healthy.
But at this point, the Packers have to be aware that consistent health and good performance will become harder and harder to achieve.
Cornerback is one of the most volatile positions year to year in football, and players usually tend to start regressing in year 7. Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward told NFL Network a couple of years ago that maintaining speed was a big priority to forge more time in the league.
“If you want a long career, jump on the track in the offseason, and you’ll be able to steal a couple extra years,” Hayward said. “The longer you can maintain your speed, you can steal a few years. Every offseason, I jump on that track and maintain as much as I can.”
Next season, Jaire Alexander will be in year 8. He can still play at a high level if he is healthy and if he keeps developing his understanding of the game. But it’s not an easy task.
There are also financial considerations. Jaire is under contract for two more seasons, and he is slated to make $17.5 million in 2025 and $19.5 million in 2026. However, there are no guarantees left. If the Packers trade or release him next offseason, the dead money would be just past signing and restructure bonuses that haven’t hit the cap yet. His cap hit is projected to be $25.864 million, and a trade would leave behind $19.092 million in dead money.
The $6 million in cap savings don’t appear to be much, but there would also be $27.864 million of savings in 2026 and $2.364 million in 2027, which is a void year.
Difficult decision
Right now, the Packers don’t have a great situation in the cornerback room. Eric Stokes lost a step after so many injuries, hasn’t played well since 2021, and will be a free agent. Carrington Valentine has played well, but the Packers have barely trusted him to play over Stokes.
Keisean Nixon has been the top boundary cornerback this year. And while he’s played well, that’s probably a scenario a team would like to avoid.
The Packers need a cornerback or two, at least, to consider moving on from Jaire Alexander. It would probably require some draft compensation to do so, and there would be follow-up questions about who’s willing to give up all that.
Jaire Alexander has been one of the most valuable players for the Packers over the last decade. But considering availability, age, and money, it’s fair to question his future with the team — and it’s not anyone’s fault.