Jaire Alexander‘s time in Green Bay has come to an end. After talks regarding both a trade and a restructure took place this offseason, the Pro Bowl corner will hit free agency. Alexander is being released today, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 
The team spoke with Alexander’s camp yesterday, Dianna Russini and Matt Schneidman of The Athletic add. It was during that meeting that the 28-year-old learned he would be let go. Instead of continuing to pursue a trade or a pact keeping Alexander in Green Bay at a reduced rate, team and player will now go their separate ways. Despite the financial impasse the parties arrived at, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes Alexander was planning to attend this week’s mandatory minicamp.
Two years remained on the former first-rounder’s contract, one which included nonguaranteed base salaries for the remainder of the pact. Alexander was due to carry cap charges of $24.64MM and $27.02MM, figures which were not feasible from the team’s perspective given his inability to remain healthy in recent years. By making this move after June 1, the Packers will see $17.12MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $7.52MM.
Alexander has spent each of his seven NFL seasons in Green Bay, operating as a full-time starter throughout his time with the team. The Louisville product has been one of the league’s top corners when healthy, and he collected a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020 and ’22. During the latter campaign, Alexander set a new career high with five interceptions while recording double-digit pass deflections (14) for the fourth time. Both years since then, however, he has played only seven games.
That lack of availability has made Alexander’s Packers future a talking point for some time now. A trade was not only explored in this case, but the team shopped him prior to free agency. No agreement was worked out on that front, and shortly after the new league year began Green Bay inked Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48MM pact. The former Raider will be a key member of the Packers’ new-look secondary this season as the team looks to move forward without a defensive mainstay in the fold any longer.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for Alexander late in the offseason. Suitors were understandably hesitant about parting ways with draft capital given his injury issues and the possibility of a release taking place. Now that Alexander is indeed set to become a free agent, any number of teams have the financial wherewithal to pursue what will no doubt be a short-term deal. Alexander was the league’s highest-paid corner at the time he inked his Packers extension, but his earning power will of course be greatly reduced this time around.
Jalen Ramsey looms as another high-profile corner available to interested teams, although the Dolphins All-Pro will (in all likelihood) be acquired via trade. Alexander, by contrast, can begin lining up visits with suitors once his release is processed later today.
Guess all that trade interest was really just the usual smoke and mirrors.
And the Pack barely drafted any CBs the past two years. Ouch.
Gute strikes again
Should have drafted a CB in the 1st.
They signed Hobbs for this and were a playoff team without him the last two seasons.
Still, all signs pointed to him coming back (I chat deeper on the Packers in a different forum), we were all in agreement that a healthy season would have been better for both sides.
The Packers are swimming in cap space, dumb cut.
Hobbs is a slot corner.
So was Nixon. Hobbs played both outside and inside as a rookie before they moved him to a “big slot” role the last couple years.
He’s already been lining up both inside and outside in OTAs for the Packers.
Like many players, he was misused by the Raiders. They’ve been the Packers farm system the last few years.
It never passed the smell test that they would run it back with him, even if they need a true outside corner. Could see the Rams or Raiders giving him a call.
Oh I’m sure a bunch of teams will kick the tires on him since they can negotiate their own price instead of having to take on that big cap hit.
Vikings or Lions.
Vikings I could see. Lions not so much. They already added Reed to Arnold and Rakestraw, and Alexander doesn’t seem like a culture fit.
What about the panthers?
I could see it. And look, it’s cornerback, so most teams in the league *could* use another guy.
Where all the Packer fans from two weeks ago when this was rumor calling this site a joke and that the Packers would never be dumb enough to release him?
Don’t worry, Packers fan here who still thinks it was dumb to cut him.
I have a feeling he’s staying in division
Time for the Raiders to make the call. And Ramsey isn’t the player he use to be, but he’d fit pretty well also.
Not sure he fits the height profile for the raiders…
Eagles should sign him. It’s a no brainer.
I don’t see that happening unless they get a salary steal for him on a one-year deal. I think there’s enough teams that’ll pay him more than we’d want to sign him for that it’s unlikely. They also seem to love Ringo (I personally think he’s meh)
Texas
always hurt, next man up.
Where are all the pro owner people from the Hendrickson story. No honor the contract or how are they doing him like this. he got hurt and underplayed the contract, and guess what, Green Bay is cutting him and don’t owe him another dime. That’s how this works.
Huh? Hendrickson is trying to renegotiate a deal for himself for the top DE salary in the game by sitting out. A FA deal he negotiated. Everybody gets it, He’s old and trying to cash in. Lots of guys have tried but actually earning that money will be tough to accomplish. Alexander is going to get paid anyway for being cut so I have no idea where the 2 things are even close. It’s like Sesame Street. One of these things is not like the other……… I mean he’ll get whatever guaranteed money he had left but he’ll be free to sell himself to the highest bidder at least.
Because Alexander is getting cut with two years left on the deal. Who’s crying about Green Bay not paying him what he already negotiated?
Again Green Bay is paying him what he negotiated. Whatever guaranteed money he had left and now he can sign with someone else and make 2 salaries. Is that hard to see? And the Bengals ARE wanting to pay Hendrickson the money he’s owed, The just don’t want to extend him for the top dollar on the market. There is no comparison.
No, they’re not. They still owe him two more years, unless you’re talking about the guaranteed money, which Hendrickson no longer has on his deal either. Hey, but I guess it’s cool when the owners walk away from a deal.
Well then I guess I can’t read because I have seen nowhere that the Bengals are cutting Hendrickson loose they are completely cool with paying him his salary for this year. Unless you know something that was said that I don’t that Hendrickson was getting cut.
As a Packers fan, I’m not unhappy with this decision , but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him crank out an injury-free season for his next team. Sometimes, stuff works out that way.
Never lived up to his ego. It’s very telling that they couldn’t even get a late rd pick for him.
Texans. Get his head right. Plus DeMeco Ryan’s has shown the ability to handle big personalities.
Doesn’t he have back problems? If that’s the case, I wouldn’t make that move either. He’ll probably end up on a one-year deal with somebody.
Wondering if they would try to sign Asante Samuel Jr.
Chargers or 49ers