Though Love is right that Alexander’s abilities are a boon for whichever team has him on its roster, the problem as of late is that Alexander hasn’t been on the field to make plays nearly as much as the Packers would like.
In total, Alexander has missed half of Green Bay’s games the last four seasons, starting with missing all but four games in the 2021 season. The Packers nevertheless signed him to a four-year, $84 million extension the following offseason, and he rewarded them for their faith with his second Pro Bowl selection, but since then has again struggled to stay healthy.
Alexander played in only seven games each of the last two seasons due to injuries, including missing time in 2024 mainly due to a PCL tear that ultimately shut him down from Week 12 onward.
Considering that his extension made him the top-earning cornerback in annual average salary at the time — and still No. 5 now — that’s not nearly the amount of payoff expected from such an investment, leading to the team’s openness to parting ways with two years and $37 million left on Alexander’s contract.
General manager Brian Gutekunst broached the topic in the immediate wake of the Packers’ playoff loss in January, acknowledging that the injury problems have been frustrating for both the CB and the club, though he added that the team could keep him around.
Not much was said on the subject until it was reported in February that the team had been involved in trade conversations and would be open to moving Alexander for the right price.
Almost two months later and Alexander remains a Packer. But there’s plenty of offseason left in which to make a move, and certainly no lack of teams in the NFL who are in need of a starting cornerback. Whether any of them are willing to take a chance on one with injury struggles but Pro Bowl upside is the question, especially with the draft also an option to plug that roster hole.
With the event set to kick off in just under a week in the Packers’ own town, a cornerback selection early on by Green Bay could also signal just how likely the team is to move on from Alexander by the time fall comes.
But if Love has it his way, Alexander would remain a Packer for the season ahead.
“Locker room, he’s a character,” Love said. “He’s always a guy that interacts with everybody on the team. He jokes around but he also has that serious side to him as a competitor, and obviously the player on the field is a whole ‘nother area that we would be losing if we didn’t have him.
“I’m hoping Ja’s still there with us, we’ll see. But that’s my guy right there.”
