After an up-and-down year that included a strange suspension for a coin toss incident and a stretch in the training room with a shoulder injury, former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander could be looking to leave the Green Bay Packers as he posted what seems to be a goodbye message on his Instagram page on Tuesday night.
The defensive back, who played his college ball at Louisville, was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire six-year career with the team and signed a four-year, $84 million extension in May 2022 which keeps him under contract through 2026, though there is a potential out in 2025.
The NFL is a league obsessed with passing, and true shutdown cornerbacks like Alexander are rare. The defensive back was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2022 and was also named a Second Team All-Pro in both of those seasons.
Injuries have been an issue for the 26-year-old of late, however. He only played four games in 2021 before suiting up for 16 games in 2022. This past season, he only appeared in seven games due to a shoulder injury. In terms of the quality of his play, it wasn’t quite up to his previous standards, as he allowed a 113.4 passer rating during the regular season.
He was healthy enough to appear in the Packers’ two playoff games, during which he played a lot better, putting up PFF’s second-best coverage grade (80.8) through the first two rounds, allowing just four receptions for 37 yards.
If he does indeed request a trade, there would certainly be many teams interested in the services of a shutdown corner like Alexander, as long as he can remain healthy. If the Packers did choose to trade him, it is unclear what their price tag might be. Fellow shut-down corner Jalen Ramsey was traded last offseason for a third round selection and tight end David Long. Ramsey is a few years older than Alexander, so a second rounder could be the asking price.
