Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was non-committal about cornerback Jaire Alexander returning to his team for the 2025 season when asked at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.
“We’ll see, we’re working through that,” Gutekunst said, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’ll work through that as we go along.”
Gutekunst told Silverstein that he will meet with John Thornton, Alexander’s agent, while at the combine in Indianapolis to help determine the best path forward for both sides.
It’s possible the Packers are preparing to ask Alexander to take a significant pay cut ahead of the 2025 season and will be ready to release the veteran cornerback if his side refuses. Alexander has played in only 14 of a possible 34 regular season games over the last two seasons and has missed at least 10 games in three of the last four seasons.
It’s unclear if a trade is an option, but Gutekunst told Silverstein that Alexander has not requested one.
“He loves Green Bay,” Gutekunst said. “He has a lot of energy when he’s in the building. He’s still around. We’ll work through that and see where that leads.”
Injuries have frustrated both player and team. In 2024, Alexander injured his knee in Jacksonville in Week 8 and then attempted to return after the bye in Week 10, only to suffer a setback after 10 snaps. He eventually returned to practice but never played again during the regular season, and his season officially ended when he underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
In 2023, Alexander missed several games to various injuries and then was suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Alexander, a two-time All-Pro (2020, 2022), has two years remaining on his current deal.
Gutekunst called Alexander an “elite player” and “talented player” and said he’s “doing everything he can” to play despite injuries.
The Packers must now weigh if Alexander’s history of injuries and potential for future injury works with his currently scheduled salary cap number. And Alexander must determine if he wants to stay in Green Bay long term.