At the end of the 2024 season, it seemed to be a given that Jaire Alexander would not be back with the Packers in 2025. However, as the offseason has gone on and the situation has evolved, it has turned out that there is still actually a good chance Alexander will be wearing the green and gold this season.
This is probably in both Alexander's and the Packers' best interest; Alexander gets to stay in a familiar environment where his skills are needed, and the Packers avoid taking a significant blow to their secondary, especially considering the few steps taken to address the cornerback position in the offseason.
But it's also worth considering that previous Packer malcontents have rarely ended up discovering that the grass was greener on the other side.
Some examples:
Aaron Rodgers: The most prominent recent example, Aaron Rodgers got his trade to New York where he spent one year rehabbing a ruptured achilles and another year being a primary contributor to the implosion of the Jets' franchise. He now is 41 without a team and may be forced into retirement.
Greg Jennings: After sharing displeasure regarding his role with the Packers and his relationship with Rodgers, Jennings put together some pretty average seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, never even coming close to replicating the numbers he racked up in Green Bay.
Martellus Bennett: Bennett lasted a whole half season in Green Bay before his toxic attitude earned him a trip out of town. He spent some time in New England that season and then never played again.
Davante Adams: Maybe not as much of a malcontent as other players on this list, but still someone who had problems with the direction the Packers were taken and who was offended by the Packers being initially unwilling to pay him the contract he felt he deserved. Adams has played good football beyond Green Bay, but it was a struggle in Las Vegas and New York, and now he's on his third team in the last calendar year in the Rams.
Josh Sitton: Sitton was released by the Packers after some friction with coaches and within the locker room. He never again achieved the same level of play that he had established in Green Bay.
There have been plenty of examples of players departing from Green Bay on relatively amicable terms, but in general, the players with the highest-profile negative exits have tended to struggle elsewhere, and there's certainly reason to believe Alexander would be one of them.
Hopefully the relationship between Alexander and the Packers mends, he stays healthy, and he plays at the level that earned him his contract.
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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.
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