Getty Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander will serve his one-game suspension in Week 17.
The Green Bay Packers will be missing more than just Jaire Alexander from their cornerback room in Week 17’s must-win game against the Minnesota Vikings.
According to the team’s official transaction wire for December 30, the Packers placed starting cornerback Eric Stokes on injured reserve on Saturday with a hamstring injury, a move that effectively shuts him down for the remainder of the 2023 regular season.
The Packers’ decision to place Stokes on injured reserve is surprising considering he practiced in full all week and did not carry an injury designation on Friday’s final injury report for Week 17. The morning before the game, though, the Packers downgraded him to out with a hamstring issue before later in the day placing him on season-ending IR.
The Packers (7-8) will now attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Vikings (7-8) without either of their top cornerbacks in the lineup. Without them, the team will likely start rookie Carrington Valentine and veteran Corey Ballentine in Week 17.
Eric Stokes’ Injuries Cast Doubt on Future With Packers
Eric Stokes’ third season in the NFL has not been kind to him.
Stokes, a 2021 first-round pick, began the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) as he continued to recover from the ankle and knee injuries that ended his sophomore season in Week 9 last year. Once the team cleared him to play again in Week 7, though, he managed to play just four special teams snaps before suffering a hamstring injury and landed on the injured reserve list for the next seven weeks.
Stokes did return in Week 15 and started in each of the Packers’ last two games, but his latest injury means he will wrap his third season in the league with just three games — and 110 defensive snaps — played. It also means that the Packers could have a difficult decision to make regarding his future heading into the 2024 offseason in a few months.
Stokes had a strong rookie season, but he struggled in 2022 before his season-ending injuries. He also played poorly in his limited 2023 action, allowing eight receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 10 targets over just two games. While the Packers might be willing to chalk up some of that to his injuries, his ability to stay on the field could influence whether they pick up his 2025 fifth-year option on or before May 3.
According to Over the Cap, Stokes’ fifth-year option is projected to be worth the base amount of $11.281 million due to him not hitting his playtime or Pro Bowl escalators.
Are Packers Weighing a Move With Jaire Alexander?
The Packers both began and ended their Week 17 preparation with cornerback troubles. Before placing Stokes on injured reserve, they also suspended Alexander, their All-Pro, for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, a decision that head coach Matt LaFleur said derived from more than just his pregame antics in the previous week.
“I’ll just say this: It’s never for one thing,” LaFleur said on December 29. “But like I said, I think there’s a lot of lessons along the way for everybody involved, and hopefully we learn from them. I think we will, I think there will be better communication moving forward. And like I said, I think Ja is going to be here a long time. He’s a helluva player and just looking to move past this and learn from this, and we’ll all move forward and be better from it.”
Seems pretty straightforward … until taking into account the latest report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that suggests the Packers are evaluating Alexander’s long-term future.
On December 30, Schefter wrote the Packers’ long-term decision “regarding the future of Jaire Alexander is expected to revolve around the $8 million roster bonus owed to the start cornerback on March 20.” He also noted the injury history that has forced Alexander to miss a combined 23 games since the start of the 2021 season, including nine in the current season. His absence in Week 17 will bring the total to 24 games.
The Packers might have a difficult time moving Alexander — the league’s highest-paid cornerback — off their books if they decide a split is in their best interest for 2024. Still, he is a premium talent at the position and would likely have multiple suitors if the Packers put him on the trade block this offseason.