It’s been a winding ride for Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander—a player once seen as a cornerstone of the defense but now just seems to be a headache in the locker room who is past his prime. And by the time the 2025 NFL Draft wraps up, Packers fans might finally breathe a sigh of relief if his exit becomes official.
Alexander was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and immediately made his mark, locking down a starting job and looking every bit the future star Green Bay hoped he’d be.
Over his first three seasons, he started 42 games, built a reputation as a tenacious cover man, and chirped his way into opponents’ heads with constant trash talk. He didn’t just walk with swagger—he strutted.
But after Year 3, the wheels started to wobble.
A shoulder injury derailed most of his 2021 season, and though Green Bay still handed him a lucrative four-year, $84 million extension in 2022—making him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback at the time—it turned out to be more of a gamble than a reward.
Since then, Alexander has been a ghost more often than a presence. He’s played in seven or fewer games in three of the last four seasons, dealing with a laundry list of injuries—shoulder, groin, back, knee. The team reportedly feels he could have played through some of them but chose not to. Whether that’s fair or not, it’s a perception that’s stuck.
And then came the self-inflicted wounds.
In 2023, Alexander inserted himself into the pregame coin toss despite not being named a captain, resulting in a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. That wasn’t just a red flag—it was a billboard-sized warning.
He also voiced his displeasure with the former defensive coaching staff, unhappy with how little man coverage he got to play in favor of a more zone-heavy approach.
When Jeff Hafley was hired, Alexander sang a different tune—at least publicly. But history suggests it's only a matter of time before he’s humming a new complaint. He’s made it clear he wants to play his way, and anything else quickly wears thin.
Meanwhile, the cap numbers are going the opposite direction. Alexander carried a $23.9 million cap hit in 2024, which rises to $24.6 million in 2025 and a whopping $27 million in 2026—pricey real estate for a player who’s only been available half the time.
Green Bay has an off-ramp.
If they trade or release Alexander before June 1, they’ll eat $17 million in dead money but save $7.6 million this year and wipe his 2026 hit off the books entirely. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but one that might finally cleanse a lingering headache.
Despite lingering on the roster longer than expected, there's been no progress toward reconciliation. Gutekunst is likely working the phones behind the scenes, and with draft season in full swing, now may be the time to pull the trigger.
There’s no denying Alexander’s talent. He’s a difference-maker when on the field. But for a team trying to build a Super Bowl contender, they can’t afford to keep rolling the dice on a part-time player with a full-time contract.
The writing’s on the wall. It’s time for both sides to turn the page. And when they do, Packers fans won’t just be ready for life without Alexander—they might be glad the curtain has finally closed on this drawn-out drama.