First off, Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there. If it weren't for my Dad taking control of the living room TV to turn on the Packers, a good 33 years ago, it's anyone's guess whether or not I'd be as passionate about Packers football as I am today. So, thank you, Dad, for that and everything else. Now let's get to the latest week in Packers history.
Jaire Alexander
You can count me in for being a part of the optimistic crowd this offseason. Watching no trade transpire during the NFL Draft and then seeing the Packers draft zero cornerbacks made me think, "You know, perhaps Jaire Alexander will still be a Packer in 2025." Well, on Monday, that all came crashing down when the Packers officially released the All-Pro corner.
To put it simply, players like Jaire Alexander don't grow on trees. Off the field, he had a personality that you couldn't help but love. He was serious when he needed to be, but was as fun-loving and goofy as ever when the time was appropriate. On the field, when he was available, he was one of the best corners in football. I never worried about receivers when they had 23 over them. I knew Jaire would have them covered. And if he did get beat, that receiver needed to savor the flavor because they weren't going to taste it again.
Unfortunately, though, we have to go back to the comment "when he was available." Alexander only played in 34 of a possible 66 regular-season games between 2021 and 2024. For a player that commands the type of cap hit that Jaire Alexander does, that type of availability just isn't going to cut it. Word is that Alexander and the Packers just couldn't agree on a contract restructure. Words have floated around that the Packers would not offer any guaranteed money, which didn't sit well with Alexander's camp, so it resulted in his eventual release.
You can't exactly blame either side on this one, in my opinion. The Packers know what Alexander is worth when he's healthy, but they don't want to pay that when he's not. They also don't want to guarantee any money to him, given his injury history. It's hard to shell out a couple of million dollars guaranteed in an agreement when there's a chance the other side of that agreement can't guarantee even a higher-than-average chance of upholding their side of the deal. For Jaire, he knows what he's worth when healthy; he's not going to just lie down and play for a big discount because of something out of his control. These are unfortunate circumstances, but I wish Jaire all the best in the future, just not when he's playing against the Packers, if it ever happens.
As far as replacing him goes, the Packers are counting on their free agent acquisition, Nate Hobbs, to make an impact, along with Keisean Nixon stepping up. I hope that we see breakouts from Carrington Valentine and Kalen King as well. The organization is trusting these guys to make a difference, so I'll get on that wagon as well. It would be nice to see the young corners take a lead role.
Mark Murphy
He's not gone yet, but in just under a month, Packers' President and CEO Mark Murphy will be retiring following his 70th birthday on July 13th. In the last practice of OTAs, Murphy led the team in a breakdown. This will likely be the last time he is on a practice field with the team in his position, and when those players return for training camp, Murphy will likely already be retired.
In these final weeks of his time with the team, we'll hear a lot. Many who acted like he was a terrible President, some who thought he was outstanding, but there's one thing for sure: when Mark Murphy walks out of Lambeau for the final time as an employee, he will leave behind a legacy that took the Packers' roots in Green Bay and drove them several miles deeper into the ground. He will be remembered by many for bringing the NFL Draft to Green Bay in his final year, but his creation of the TitleTown District will be one of his greatest achievements. That district helps bring an income in for the Green Bay Packers that has nothing to do with football. The income from the TitleTown District helps the Packers remain competitive and helps them keep their place in Green Bay a little easier.
The ovation may not be as loud as it may be for a legendary player or coach in Green Bay, but Murphy deserves his accolades and a well-earned retirement.
Isaiah Simmons
Lastly, I'm going to talk about a reason for optimism. Whenever you see a player signed to a new team who was a high draft pick a few years ago, but never really lived up to the hype, you tend to think, "Who cares, but what if?" The reason is that you temper expectations given that they haven't risen above the label of an average player. When you see a player drafted in a position that should be an automatic difference maker, and they're not, you just see them as a seat filler and write them off right away. But what if, for whatever reason, their previous lack of success was not entirely due to issues on their end? What if they weren't a "bust" and they were just misused, or not put in the best position to be successful? The Packers are hoping that could be the case with Isaiah Simmons.
Simmons was drafted 8th overall in 2020. Simmons came out of college a freak athlete with the ability to play nearly every position on the defense. In 2019 he was the recipient of the Dick Butkus award for best linebacker in the nation. Unfortunately, after his drafting by the Arizona Cardinals, he just never panned out. He's had some flashes of good play in his time with both the Cardinals and the New York Giants, but nothing even close to the gamestopper we were promised when he was drafted. It seems, though, that Simmons may have found what he lacked in Arizona and New York. That could be a defensive coach willing to help him focus on one area and motivate him to do his best at that.
According to Simmons, Jeff Hafley is a good fit for him, and he's eager for a fresh start, just focusing on being a linebacker. Simmons states that a lack of snaps with the Giants lit a fire under him. We've seen Jeff Hafley turn around this Packers' defense, turning them from a weakness to a strength in one season. Could we see Hafley bring Isaiah Simmons even just a little close to what his expectations were in 2020? We can definitely hope so.