Not so fast on the Jaire Alexander talk. Maybe. Many Green Bay Packers fans might assume he will be traded, and he still could be. What we know about the situation is that Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at this week's NFL owners meetings that he would like any potential trade with Alexander done before the 2025 NFL draft.
This makes sense as the team wants to know what they are getting back for Alexander and then be able to apply for the return immediately. The question is how much another team is willing to pay for the 28-year-old cornerback who has been named Second-Team All-Pro twice in his career.
Of course, the problem for Alexander and, therefore, the Packers is that he gets hurt a lot. He has played only seven games in each of the last two seasons and four in 2021. His injury history likely lowers his trade value. He is excellent when he is on the field, but he isn't on the field enough.
Xavier McKinney's recent Instagram post with Jaire Alexander should give Green Bay Packers fans hope
Green Bay would save nearly $7 million in cap room if the cornerback was dealt. The first wave of free agency is done, but there are still several quality players left who are available to sign. Stephon Gilmore is an aging player, but one who would be a good bridge cornerback to replace Alexander. He also stays healthy.
But based on an Instagram video that Packers safety Xavier McKinney posted recently, maybe there is hope for Packers fans that Alexander is not going anywhere. McKinney and Alexander are seen post-workout, it seems, leaving a football field.
Now, this could be one of several things. Maybe McKinney and Alexander are friends and would work out together no matter if one played for Green Bay and one for the Seattle Seahawks, for instance. That would make sense.
What is also potentially valid is that the players have no idea what the team is trying to do with Alexander. They are just working out together as if nothing else is going on and life is normal.
But maybe, just maybe, McKinney and Alexander assume that the cornerback will not be moved and the two are preparing to play together in 2025 and beyond. That would be a wonderful thing, especially as when the two are healthy, they form one of the best defensive back duos in the NFL.
