Cornerback Jaire Alexander has missed seven of the last eight games. When he played, against the Chicago Bears in Week 11, he was on the field for 10 snaps and left the game. There was an expectation that Alexander would eventually return this season, but that's not a guarantee at this point for the Green Bay Packers.

On Monday, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked if he expected to have Alexander back at some point this season, and the answer brings more questions.

"I don't know," LaFleur said. "As soon as I know, I'll let you guys know."

As a follow up, the coach was asked if the team and the player are on the same page with his recovery process.

"I can't really get into all that," LaFleur added. "I do know that he's been dealing with swelling. He doesn't feel right to go out there and play."

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Jaire's situation has been full of ups and downs, at least from an external perception. He tried to play against the Bears and aggravated the PCL injury. Then, he missed practice for a few weeks and eventually returned to the activities. Ahead of the Seattle Seahawks game, he was a full participant all week, but was still not ready to play. Now, it's hard to project that he would play an almost meaningless game against the Chicago Bears in Week 18.

Maybe, Alexander will be ready for playoff time. But it's far from a certainty based on what LaFleur expressed.

Future

Over the last four seasons, Jaire Alexander has missed 33 of 67 regular season games. He has handled multiple injuries — shoulder, knee, groin. Last year, he also missed one game because of a team-imposed suspension.

As he will enter his eighth NFL season in 2025, there are fair questions about what the Packers will do with him. Jaire is under contract for two more seasons, slated to make $17.5 million in 2025 and $19.5 million in 2026.

Even though he still plays at a high level, the lack of availability is a big issue, and it's difficult to allocate such a significant amount of money under these circumstances.

According to Over the Cap, his cap hit in 2025 is $25.376 million. If traded or released, the dead money would be $18.117 million — $7.259 million in cap savings. The Packers would have the option to release him with a post-June 1st designation, leaving behind $7.876 million in dead money in 2025, with $17.5 million in cap savings. In this scenario, though, there would be $10.241 million in dead money in 2026.

That’s a decision general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to make in the offseason. Meanwhile, Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff can only hope Alexander gets back at some point in the playoffs. But the idea that he has played his last down as a Packer doesn’t seem as absurd anymore.

Jaire Alexander’s injury concerns bring fair questions about his future with the Packers

Cornerback is under contract through 2026