When met by local media members following the Green Bay Packers loss in the NFL Playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander told them that he did not want to talk.

In his brief explanation as to why, he said, “I don’t know if I am even coming back next year,” and that he had nothing good to say.

These comments, along with Alexander’s long history of injuries, have led many to believe that two-time Second Team All-Pro and the Packers are headed for a divorce.

With their star cornerback likely headed out the door, and since Eric Stokes is going to be a free agent, Green Bay is in desperate need for quality depth in their defensive secondary.

And since general manager Brian Gutekunst said in his end of season press conference that it is time for his team to start competing for Super Bowls, many believe the Packers could take a home run swing on Alexander’s replacement.

The Green Bay Packers Could Trade for Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl Cornerback Denzel Ward to Replace Jaire Alexander

While the Packers have some major questions to answer regarding Alexander, the Cleveland Browns have similar questions surrounding two of their star defensive players.

Myles Garrett, whom many fans in Green Bay would love to see in Green and Gold, has officially requested a trade. Should Cleveland grant his request, four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward also may look to bolt away from the Browns.

During an interview earlier this week in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Ward told reporters:

“I’m not going to say I don’t want to be here. I would hope we wouldn’t trade a guy like Myles Garrett away. That would be hard to see. And I would have to see the idea of, ‘Are we trying to win if we’re trading Hall of Fame players like that?’ We’ve just got to wait to see what happens, but I want to play with Myles though.”

 

Now, Ward does have three years remaining on his $100.5 million and has had some recent concussion issues.

However, both of these things make him much more affordable on the trade market.

Heavy on Packers writer Max Dible believes that Green Bay sending “a second and sixth round pick” in the 2025 NFL Draft would be enough to get Ward in a Packers uniform.

How Does Denzel Ward’s Career Compare to Jaire Alexander’s

Both Ward and Alexander were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Ward was the fourth overall pick that year by the Browns that year while the Packers took Alexander with pick 18.

And while both have been among the best cornerbacks in the league, Ward has been, well, better:

As one can see, Ward has played in 17 more career games than Alexander, the equivalent of a full NFL season. And while one could argue that playing in more games would obviously give Ward more well-known stats such as interceptions, the fact of the matter is that it also means he has had more opportunities to fail.

However, he simply has not done so. In the chart above, one will notice that opposing quarterbacks have nearly a 10-point passer rating worse when targeting Ward than they do Alexander. What is more, Ward has allowed a completion percentage of 53.9% in his career. Alexander has allowed one of 57.8%, which is also quite good.

That being said, Alexander has been targeted 448 times since coming into the NFL. Ward has been targeted 544 times, nearly 100 times more.

All this to say that, if Ward does demand a trade, there probably is no one better that the Packers could go out and get to replace Alexander.