When the Green Bay Packers signed Jaire Alexander to a contract extension that made him, at the time, the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, the belief was that he would continue to dominate on the field and be a pillar of their defense. And while he has been as good as ever when he is on the field, that has unfortunately happened in just half of the games Green Bay has played since the signing.
The NFL is a violent game, and injuries happen/can pile up. While many players are able to be active for 17+ games, they do not escape any given season without some sort of injury, whether it is severe enough to be included on the team’s injury report or not.
There is no denying the fact that Green Bay’s two-time Pro Bowl cornerback has dealt with some pretty serious injuries over the last four years. However, there has also been a sense among fans that there might be something else wrong, something that has driven a wedge between Alexander and the Packers organization.
The Green Bay Packers Are Reportedly Frustrated with Jaire Alexander
Since signing his contract extension, Alexander has played in 34 of a possible 68 regular season games. He played just four games in 2021 due a shoulder injury, 16 games in 2022, and seven games in each of the past two seasons due to a variety of different injuries.
And while no one should fault a player for getting hurt in what is arguably the most violent professional sport, one can question an individual’s determination to play through ailments. Packers quarterback Jordan Love, for example, returned after missing just two weeks with a sprained MCL, an injury that obviously limited his mobility and mechanics. However, he wanted to be out there for the team.
According to a recent article by ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, there are some frustrations within the Packers organization that Alexander has not been willing to do something similar:
“There are strong indications that Alexander’s time with the Packers will end without him playing another down. Multiple team sources have privately expressed their frustration with Alexander’s inability to stay healthy and/or play through injuries.”
Fans may recall that Alexander suffered a knee injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars, missed Green Bay’s next game, got a week off for the bye, and then returned against the Chicago Bears. However, he pulled himself out of the game after playing just 10 defensive snaps.
He did not play again for the rest of the season and ended up getting knee surgery despite being a full participant in practice in the final weeks of the year.
While Alexander has proven to be among the NFL’s best coverage players when he is healthy, the problem has been that he has missed just as many games as he has played. In professional sports, the best ability is availability, and he has, quite frankly, not been available.
And it sounds like Green Bay is ready to move on.
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