The Draft Didn’t Clarify the Jaire Alexander Situation. Now What?

The Jaire Alexander situation has been one of the dominant storylines of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason — really, the past couple of years. His departure seemed like something of a foregone conclusion. Surely, the results of the draft would clarify that. Right?

But when all the hoopla died down and the whole circus left Green Bay, the Packers had selected one cornerback, Micah Robinson …  in the seventh round.

So what does that mean for Jaire Alexander? Figuring that out must be Green Bay’s next top priority.

If you went from believing there was even a 1% chance to a 5% chance that Alexander would stay in Green Bay because of how the draft shook out, Brian Gutekunst didn't provide much optimism on that front. Speaking to reporters following the draft,

When asked if that meant the team will proceed with Alexander on the roster for the upcoming season, Gutekunst clarified.

So, back to the less than 1% chance that Alexander remains with the Packers.

The draft seemed as good a time as any to part ways. Green Bay could've scooped up some draft compensation, although anything higher than a fourth-rounder seemed ambitious at this point.

Instead, that dark cloud keeps hovering overhead. Alexander isn't the dark cloud, but the situation is.

Green Bay's options are pretty simple: either trade Alexander or cut him. Gutekunst seems hellbent on getting something in return.

Per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers had one team ready to trade for Alexander, but he wasn't willing to restructure his deal.

If Alexander won't restructure, and he has every right not to, a trade becomes that much more difficult. Green Bay is primarily willing to part ways with him because his availability doesn't match his compensation.

Alexander has missed 34 of the last 68 regular-season games but is getting paid top-of-market money for a cornerback. He’s still a premier corner when he's on the field. But he hasn't been available often the last few years, even when he logged full weeks of practice in 2024.

Whoever signs Alexander knows the pickle they are getting in. It's a high-risk, high-reward acquisition — one that the Packers deemed no longer worth it.

The fact that it's well known at this point that the Packers will very likely move on hinders any negotiation for trade compensation. However, this would never be a deal where the Packers got a first- or second-rounder in return anyway.

Question marks about Green Bay’s cornerback room right now. Perhaps a move may be in the cards to bring in a veteran CB, but none of that seems feasible until there's a resolution to Alexander's situation.

Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Alexander was present for Green Bay's virtual start to the offseason, but don’t read too much into that. The Packers are in an uncomfortable spot. Alexander appears ready to move on. The Packers are ready to move on.

Gutekunst isn't willing to budge without getting a late pick or two in return. The easy path would've been to release Alexander. The fact that it hasn't happened proves Gutekunst is willing to play the long game. As long as that's the plan, the questions about Green Bay’s cornerback predicament will continue. Maybe the best news for Gutekunst is that there aren’t many more scheduled press conferences soon after the draft is concluded.

The reality is, Alexander won't be with the Packers in 2025. It's just a matter of specifically how that departure happens. Once it does, it opens the door for the Packers to explore adding more secondary help if they so desire. Maybe Gutekunst trusts the guys they have and believes the addition of Hobbs is enough. It would be a bold gamble, but we've seen Green Bay stray away from the norm before.

Regardless of how this goes down, it will go down, sooner or later. Sooner would be much preferable, probably for Alexander and definitely for the Packers.