Throughout the offseason, it appeared inevitable that the Green Bay Packers and former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander were heading towards a separation. However, recent insights from a Packers insider suggest that the situation might be shifting.

Jaire Alexander’s Injuries With Green Bay Packers

The past couple of seasons have been challenging for Alexander due to his difficulty in remaining healthy. In 2023, he managed to play in only seven regular-season games, frequently exiting and re-entering the lineup. The pattern continued into 2024, with Alexander participating in seven games, deflecting seven passes, but missing 10 games.

Tensions peaked between Alexander and the team at the end of the 2023 season when he was suspended following an unusual coin-toss incident against the Carolina Panthers. Despite not holding a captaincy role, Alexander participated in the toss and failed to say “defer” after making the correct call, inadvertently giving the Panthers possession at the start of both halves. General manager Brian Gutekunst suspended him for a game, which reportedly took Alexander by surprise. Head coach Matt LaFleur later indicated that the coin-toss incident was not the sole reason for the suspension but chose not to elaborate further.

Amidst injuries, suspension, and what seemed like a fraying relationship with management, Alexander’s $21 million annual salary appeared likely to become another team’s concern. But speculation regarding his departure is losing steam. According to ESPN, the Packers are exploring all possibilities. Gutekunst refrained from confirming Alexander’s future with the team but emphasized that no avenues are closed: “We’ll work through that as we go. But no updates there, and he is on our roster right now, and that’s how we’ll proceed. But we’ll figure that as we go along.” Although not a robust endorsement, the Packers did not actively seek cornerback replacements in the 2025 NFL Draft, waiting until the seventh round to pick Micah Robinson from Tulane.

Contract Concerns for Injury-Prone Alexander

When fit, Alexander ranks among the NFL’s elite cornerbacks, but his health remains a significant concern. A shoulder injury kept him out for six games in 2023, and he underwent knee surgery at the end of 2024 following an absence since mid-November. His contract poses another challenge, with a $24.6 million cap hit in 2025 and $27 million in 2026. Only four cornerbacks in the league have a higher average annual income.