When he is healthy and engaged, there are few Packers on the roster who are more beloved than the very talented and always ebullient Jaire Alexander. He has the ability to be a shutdown corner, and his antics on the field, in the community, in the locker room and on camera have earned him plenty of credit among the team’s boosters.
But Alexander can be flighty. And, worse, he has been very, very injury-prone, with some indications that perhaps he is inflating the impact of his injuries to keep himself on the sidelines. That’s been the case this year, at least, as Alexander has missed the last six games, and nine games in all with a knee injury.
Alexander missed 10 games last year, and missed 13 in 2021. He was a Pro Bowler who played 16 games in 2022, the only healthy season he has had in the last four years.
This year, there has been drama around Alexander’s playing status, it seems, on a weekly basis. The Packers clearly feel he should be about ready to play. But yet, he keeps being ruled out.
Coach Matt LaFleur was asked about whether we’ll see Alexander again in Week 18 or the playoffs. “Yeah, I don’t know,” he said, via PackersNews.com. “As soon as I know, I’ll let you guys know.”
LaFleur was asked, too, if there was a disconnect between Alexander and the team, if the Packers feel he should be playing. “Yeah, I can’t really get into all that,” LaFleur said. “I do know that he’s been dealing with swelling, and he doesn’t feel right to go out there and play.”
Jaire Alexander Has Practiced But Not Played
The frustrating part of the Packers has been that Alexander has been healthy enough to practice for much of the month, but yet not healthy enough to play.
He was a full participant in practice twice before the Packers played Seattle in Week 14, but was shut down for that game. He was a full go in all three practices before the Saints game in Week 15, but missed that one, too. Alexander then practices twice last week before the Minnesota game, but was shut down then, too.
Packers Could Make a Cut
This is significant in the short term because, obviously, the Packers would very much like to have Alexander on the field in the postseason. But in the long term, it is significant, too, because the Packers have an out on Alexander’s contract after this season. It’s not hard to imagine that the team has had enough with his injury woes and might simply cut him after this season, which would bring a $17.5 million savings.
The problem with that, though, is that the Packers are woefully thin in the defensive backfield. They could try to address that issue in the draft, and they almost certainly will. But if they want to find a free-agent who could be plugged in immediately, those are in short supply. Alexander is frustrating, and cutting him might be the right thing to do.
But the Packers don’t have a lot of options besides him.
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Matt LaFleur Addresses Whether Packers Fan Favorite Will Play Again