Vikings Revel $84 Million Star For 2024 Season…
The time has come for the Green Bay Packers to part ways with one of its more problematic superstars, cornerback Jaire Alexander, as the team finds itself at a crossroads.
Alexander was suspended for one game for placing himself ahead of the team during the pre-game coin toss with the Carolina Panthers in Week 15, which eliminated him from Green Bay’s crucial road game against the Minnesota Vikings this coming weekend.
In addition, on November 5, the cornerback sustained a shoulder injury against the Los Angeles Rams. He was back to practice eleven days later. But he kept missing games for a few weeks, which ESPN’s Rob Demovsky called “mysterious” on December 22.
On November 16, Alexander made his way back to practice, but he hasn’t been there since. He has now missed six straight games due to the shoulder injury (plus three more earlier in the season due to a back injury), but he has never been placed on injured reserve, which would have allowed him to play for at least four more games without having to take a roster spot, according to Demovsky. “It’s sparked a lot of rumors that Alexander, the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback at almost $22 million annually, is sitting out for reasons other than his injury and that he’s not happy with the defense’s current direction.”
In just the first year of a four-year, $84 million contract extension, Alexander has shown self-interest and an apparent lack of commitment to the team. As such, the Packers should think about trading their best cornerback before his value drastically declines.
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Jaire Alexander’s Injury Issues, Behavioral Problems and Lack of Production Are Bad Signs for Packers
Green Bay is paying Alexander like an elite cover corner, which he has often been over the last few seasons. However, his salary cap hit jumps north of $24 million in 2024 and only goes up from there.
Pro Football Focus ranks Alexander the 54th best cornerback out of 123 players who have seen enough snaps to qualify at the position this season. His lack of performance combined with his injury concerns and questionable behavior create a significant cause for concern, even though Alexander is just 26 years old.
General manager Brian Gutekunst released a statement Wednesday on the team’s decision to suspend the cornerback for its must-win contest against the Vikings.
Gutekunst stated, “Unfortunately, we had to take this action as a result of Jaire’s actions before the game in Carolina.” “Everyone in our organization is expected to prioritize the team. Despite our disappointment, Jaire and I had a productive conversation this morning, and we anticipate that he will take this as a lesson as we go forward together. He is and will always be a valued member of this team, and we are excited to have him back next week.
It is hard to know what the state of affairs truly is between Alexander and the organization, but an already strained relationship isn’t likely to be helped by the Packers feeling Alexander wronged them and the cornerback watching his teammates from the sideline in a crucial game against his biggest rival — Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
More questionable behavior will only make Alexander harder to deal, and he probably carries something like first-round trade value at the moment, which argues further for the Packers to look for a deal to offload him in 2024.
Jaire Alexander’s Suspension-Worthy Decision Almost Cost Packers Big
Alexander’s first game back from injury came against Carolina, where his antics almost cost the Packers in a big way.
The team did not name Alexander a captain for the contest, which took place in his hometown of Charlotte, but he ran out as a captain of his own accord regardless. The cornerback exacerbated the situation by committing a boneheaded gaffe that could have significantly hurt his team’s chances in what ended up a narrow 3-point win.
The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman outlined the happenings on Wednesday.
In an interview after the game, Alexander laughed off his actions as insignificant and was frank about them.
It’s just fitting, Alexander remarked. “I don’t think Coach was aware of my Charlotte roots.”
Alexander was suspended last weekend, and by all accounts, that was the right decision. But before a potentially dire situation with an expensive player gets worse, they should also initiate talks about a trade in the front office.