For the Green Bay Packers and cornerback Jaire Alexander, it all came down to availability. When he was on the field for Green Bay during his seven years with the team, Alexander was as good as it gets at the cornerback position. The trouble was, too often Alexander was not on the field.
But everything that has happened since Alexander was released back in June has shown that the Packers were right to let him go.
The Packers released Alexander after general manager Brian Gutekunst couldn’t find a trade partner. Alexander landed in Baltimore with former Louisville college teammate Lamar Jackson on a very low-risk, one-year deal for the Ravens. It never panned out.
Alexander played 33 snaps in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. It was just 38% of the total defensive snaps. That wasn’t surprising, given that Alexander had missed much of training camp.
However, the roller coaster ride began after Week 1.
Alexander was inactive the next three weeks before returning in Week 5 to play just 28 snaps against the Houston Texans. In the past three games, Alexander had been a healthy scratch for Baltimore.
That’s right. A two-time All-Pro cornerback at just age 28 was a healthy scratch for a defense that was searching for answers during that exact stretch. Late last week, the Ravens put an end to the fiasco by sending Alexander, along with a 2027 seventh-round pick, to the Philadelphia Eagles for their 2026 sixth-rounder.
Alexander’s Baltimore stint was shorter than anyone expected; Alexander played a grand total of 61 snaps. Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano was one of the more vocal analysts praising the Ravens for the trade, but he wasn’t alone. Per Marzano:
Grade: A. Baltimore didn’t have much of a need for Alexander after the recent personnel changes drastically improved the secondary in the past two games.
Safety Alohi Gilman has given this team a spark after arriving in a trade with the Chargers earlier this month. Baltimore sent edge rusher Odafe Oweh to Los Angeles. Also, Baltimore gained a 2026 fifth-round pick from Los Angeles and relinquished a future seventh-round pick. It didn’t work out with Alexander, but the Ravens at least improved a Day 3 draft pick.
While ESPN’s Seth Walder didn’t give Baltimore an A, he was in lockstep with Manzano.
Grade: B+. For the Ravens, this is a freebie. They’re saving a little money (Alexander’s contract was guaranteed) and gaining a little draft capital for a player who wasn’t playing for them anyway.
Had he stuck around, Alexander would have cost the Packers $17.5 million this year and $19.5 million next. All the guaranteed money had washed up, but there were plenty of Packers fans who were resigned to the thought of keeping him in the mix because of what the cornerback room would look like without him.
While the Packers have had concerns at that position, Alexander wasn’t going to address them. He was unavailable to the Ravens early this season, and when he was available, they healthy-scratched him.
Gutekunst and the Packers were right all along. People are celebrating Baltimore for getting a sixth-round pick for a player who the Ravens thought would be an integral part of the secondary on what they had hoped would be a Super Bowl-contending defense. Even with struggles in the secondary as recently as two weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, head coach John Harbaugh didn’t even consider having Alexander suit up.
It’s a harsh reality, but the league can pass you by fast. For Alexander, it was never about his performance when he was on the field. It was always about a lack of availability, leaving Green Bay in a conundrum as they constantly had to search for someone to step in for him.
Now, the Eagles will try to squeeze out whatever juice is left in that orange. Had the Packers stuck it out even one more year and relied on Alexander in a major role, they would have been much worse off.
There was some confusion about whether Green Bay’s medical staff cleared Alexander at certain points in 2024, yet Alexander still opted to sit out. We may never have the answers to those questions. It’s a moot point anyway.
When Alexander returns on Monday night, playing against the Packers in an Eagles uniform, it’d be quite surprising to see him have anything close to the impact he had during his prime years. Those days are long gone, and Green Bay wisely recognized it this offseason when they released the fan favorite.