In his post-draft press conference, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stated that cornerback Jaire Alexander, who has been the subject of trade rumors and offered as a potential cap casualty option by some, is participating in the team’s offseason program. Alexander, who has skipped the offseason program in the past, has $700,000 tied into workout bonuses in 2025, per his contract.
At the moment, the Packers’ offseason program is virtual, due to the city hosting the 2025 NFL Draft. Outside of Green Bay, most teams are already working in person. Next week, the Packers will be asking their players to join voluntary workouts in person, which gives us the first opportunity for Alexander to return to Green Bay since the trade rumors began to pop up.
Considering that the team wasn’t able to come away with a cornerback before their seventh-round selection of Tulane’s Micah Robinson, it might not be a bad idea to have Alexander hang around for at least one more year. Based on how the NFL has reacted to the Nate Hobbs contract, it’s clear the league believes that Hobbs will be playing in the slot — even if the Packers say that he has a chance to play outside when they’re in front of hot mics.
With that in mind, the likely starting outside cornerbacks at the moment are Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, if Alexander doesn’t suit up for Green Bay in 2025, with Hobbs in the slot and 2024 second-round safety Javon Bullard likely on the bench. Alexander’s return would bump Valentine to the bench, giving the team some extra depth in the defensive back unit.
Alexander is due $17.5 million in cash in 2025. The Packers have the cap space to take on his cap hit or release him, but paying him out that money means fewer opportunities to roll over cap space into 2026, when the team is already projected to be over the cap. The good news is that the Packers’ decisions in the 2025 draft will help them a lot in 2026, when they’ll be letting members of the 2022 draft hit free agency instead of extending them to high-priced, long-term veteran contracts.
Whether or not Alexander is going to be on the team in Week 1 has yet to be answered. Neither side will clearly commit to anything. What we do know, though, is that general manager Brian Gutekunst won’t be getting a 2025 draft pick for Alexander in a trade, and that Alexander is willing to show up to voluntary work for the $17.5 million he’s set to make this year.