Sad news: This will be my last here, Green Bay Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs stated as he announces his departure due to $50 million blockbuster trade….

Thursday night, cornerback Jaire Alexander will miss his sixth game of the season—almost seven, if you count that he hardly participated against the Chicago Bears in Week 11. Although his performance on the field is still really decent, knee and groin problems restricted his availability this season.

For Alexander, though, injuries are not novel. In 2021 he missed 13 games; previous year he missed 10. Typical problems have been shoulder, groin, and knee.

The Packers can only hope for now that Jaire Alexander returns as soon as needed to be on the roster during the stretch run. Harder problems will, however, have to be answered going forward.

Contractual agreement and age
The Packers selected first-round choice Jaire Alexander in 2018. From the start, he was good generally, and during his rookie contract he produced a great excess value for Green Bay. With the Packers in 2022, he inked a four-year, $84 million agreement that ties him with the team until the 2026 season.

Twice, in 2020 and 2022 Alexander was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Player. Not coincidence, these are the only two seasons he has been entirely well since 2020.

At this point, though, the Packers have to realize that regular health and solid performance will be increasingly difficult to attain.

In NFC North games this season, Jaire Alexander:

versus Vikings: inactive vs Lions: inactive at Bears: 10 snaps

December 4, 2024 @wendellferreira (@wendellfp)
One of the most erratic positions year to year in football is cornerback; players often start regressing in year 7. Maintaining speed was a top concern for former Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward told NFL Network a few years ago in order to maximize league time.

“Jump on the track in the offseason if you want a long career and you’ll be able to steal a couple extra years,” Hayward said. “You can steal some years the longer you can keep your speed. I hop on the track every offseason and keep as much as I can.”

Jaire Alexander will be in year 8 in next season. If he is healthy and maintains growing in his knowledge of the game, he can still perform at a high degree. Still, this is not a simple chore.

Financial concerns also exist. Jaire is under contract for two more seasons; his projected income in 2025 and 2026 is $17.5 million and $19.5 million respectively. Still, not all assurances remain. Should the Packers move or release him next offseason, the dead money would be merely past signing and restructuring bonuses not yet reaching the cap. His cap hit is estimated to be $25.864 million; a transfer would leave dead money at $19.092 million.

Though the $6 million in cap savings seem meager, there would also be void year $27.864 million in 2026 and $2.364 million in 2027.

Hard choice
The Packers right now have a poor situation in the cornerback room. Eric Stokes will be a free agency, lost a step following so many injuries, hasn’t performed effectively since 2021, and Though the Packers have hardly trusted Carrington Valentine to play over Stokes, he has performed well.

Top boundary cornerback this year has been Keisean Nixon. Furthermore, even if he has performed well, a team would most likely want to avoid such situation.

At least the Packers need a cornerback or two to consider progressing from Jaire Alexander. To achieve this, it would most likely call for some draft compensation; follow-up questions concerning who is ready to give up all that would arise.

For the Packers over the past ten years, Jaire Alexander has been among the most valuable players. However, given availability, age, and financial situation, one should wonder about his future with the team—and it is not anyone’s fault.