Green Bay doesn’t believe that Alexander would be willing to take a pay cut, per a report
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein, the Green Bay Packers will not be looking to adjust cornerback Jaire Alexander’s contract, in part due to the team believing that Alexander wouldn’t approve of a pay cut. Just yesterday, news broke that the Packers have been shopping Alexander on the trade market, something that had been speculated before but had yet to be confirmed.
Below is what Silverstein had to say about the situation:
A source familiar with the talks Tuesday between the Packers and Alexander’s agent, John Thornton, said the Packers didn’t rule out a return but gave the impression they’re moving on. The Packers didn’t bother to ask for a pay cut because they know Alexander wouldn’t accept it.
It wouldn’t play well in the locker room to ask a guy for a pay cut because he’s been injured a lot anyway. Performance is one thing, but injury is a hazard of the job and not something for which someone should be punished.
At this point, it seems unlikely that Alexander will return to the team in 2025. Once trade rumors become public, it’s hard to undo the opening of that can of worms. Currently, the only question is whether or not someone wants to trade for Alexander’s full 2025 salary of $16.15 million or if the Packers will be forced to release him outright. Moving on from Alexander, be it a trade or release, would save Green Bay around $6 million in cap space for the upcoming season.
While general manager Brian Gutekunst was non-committal about Alexander’s return to the Packers in his interview in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, all signs seem to point toward a breakup.