Packers' decision on Jaire Alexander might not be close to happening after Brian Gutekunst's latest comments
The Green Bay Packers will most likely trade or release cornerback Jaire Alexander. But a final call is not necessarily close. During NFL Meetings in Florida, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about the situation and said that it's still a fluid process."We're still working through that. Obviously a very, very good player for us," Gutekunst […]
The Green Bay Packers will most likely trade or release cornerback Jaire Alexander. But a final call is not necessarily close. During NFL Meetings in Florida, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about the situation and said that it's still a fluid process.
"We're still working through that. Obviously a very, very good player for us," Gutekunst said. "We have some time here to figure that out, what's best for him and for the organization."
It's basically a financial decision for the Packers. Jaire has two years left on his deal. He's slated to make $17.5 million in 2025 and $19.5 million in 2026, but none of it is guaranteed. And if he stays on the team, there will be $24.994 million of cap hit in 2025 and $27.376 million in 2026. Even considering that, Gutekunst hasn't ruled out keeping Alexander this season.
"It could be possible, absolutely," he added. Again, we're in the middle of that right now."
An important aspect of the situation is that the Packers don't have a deadline to make a decision before week 1. The Packers don't have a trigger date on Jaire Alexander's contract, so while the team could want to make a decision as soon as possible, there isn't any type of roster bonus forcing the Packers to trade or release Alexander before the draft.
If Jaire is to be traded, it would be good to have extra capital in this year's draft. But if nothing materializes, there's no reason to rush.
"I think that would be nice, but I don't think you could say that for sure," Gutekunst mentioned. "That would be helpful."
If Jaire Alexander is cut or traded before June, the Packers would have $18.117 million in dead money and would clear up $6.876 million in cap space. But more importantly, the team would save $27.376 million against the cap in 2026 and $2.364 million in 2027.
Jaire was Brian Gutekunst's first draft pick as a general manager in 2018.
Packers’ financial situation makes it clear why Jaire Alexander is on borrowed time with the team this offseason
It’s a complicated situation
