Packers GM Explains How Team is 'Better' Without Jaire Alexander

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Former Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has now explained — or, at least, tried to explain — why he believes the defense will be a better unit without cornerback Jaire Alexander on the roster during the 2025 season.

The Packers resolved their monthslong uncertainty with Alexander last Monday when they officially released the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback from their 90-man roster. He had been an elite-caliber player when available, but injuries had cost him 20 games in the past two seasons, making it difficult for the Packers to depend on him.

Roughly nine days later, the Baltimore Ravens signed Alexander to a one-year contract worth up to $6 million in incentives for the 2025 season, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Following Alexander’s signing, CheeseheadTV’s Aaron Nagler interviewed Gutekunst and point-blank asked him, “How are you a better team without Jaire Alexander?”

“I think it comes down to that, whether he can stay on the field. That was always the thing over the past four years, really, for us was his ability to be out there,” Gutekunst said Wednesday. “Bringing in Nate Hobbs and Keisean [Nixon] stepping up like he did and Carrington [Valentine] going [into the lineup], I think that’s what allows us to be a better football team than we were last year, just those guys having more experience.

“Because the reality is Jaire wasn’t on the field for us much at all the past couple years. It’s a shame. He was such a good player for us, and it’s just one of those things where we would have loved for it to work out in some way, but I think over the last four years with what we were paying him and his ability to stay on the field, that was just something where it was time to move on.”

Jaire Alexander’s Availability Became a Core Problem

How Alexander’s time ended in Green Bay is a tragedy in many ways.

Alexander was Gutekunst’s first-ever draft pick as general manager in 2018 and quickly delivered on his high hopes for him by developing into a lockdown cornerback for their defense. He achieved Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro status in both 2020 and 2022, intercepting a career-high five passes in the latter after signing a four-year, $84 million extension with the team in the offseason — and missing most of 2021 with an injury.

Unfortunately, Alexander’s availability became too much of a problem for the Packers.

In a four-season span from 2021 and 2024, Alexander missed exactly half of the team’s 68 regular-season games as a result of back, shoulder and knee injuries. He played in just seven games in each of the last two seasons, forcing the Packers to get used to life without their top cornerback in the mix.

At a certain point, that is untenable — especially with a cap hit exceeding $24 million.

Is Packers Defense Truly Better Without Jaire Alexander?

The Packers are now moving confidently toward the 2025 season without Alexander and with high expectations for the cornerbacks they have tabbed to replace him. But even with Gutekunst’s justification in mind, can the Packers truly call themselves a better defensive unit without Alexander on the roster?

There are questions, to be sure. Nixon and Valentine both played well for the Packers in the boundary roles in 2024, while the addition of Hobbs on a four-year, $48 million contract strengthens the room with a seasoned pro who can play outside or in the slot. Heading into training camp, though, the depth positions are undefined at the position.

The Packers have seventh-round rookie Micah Robinson and 2024 seventh-rounder Kalen King vying for the top depth positions, but neither one has proven enough at this point to provide the team with a sense of security about its backup plans at the position.

And while confidence is a nice currency, the Packers will not know if their gambles on Nixon and Valentine — and Hobbs — will pay off until they start playing real games.

For now, the Packers will trust that they did what was necessary with Alexander and will be stronger because of it, but there is plenty of potential for their bold move to backfire on them and their chances of contending for a title during the 2025 season.

Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson