Rob Demovsky of ESPN, who covers the Green Bay Packers for the global sports powerhouse, published an article on Saturday that had some noteworthy tidbits about the Packers’ possible 2025 free agency approach. The most significant contract decision that Green Bay must make this summer is how the team feels about cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Alexander now owes $17.5 million in cash for the 2025 campaign. Alexander is unlikely to be kept at that number given that he has played seven games or fewer in three of his previous four seasons. Nevertheless, given Alexander’s $19.1 million dead cap, you would think there would be a figure that would make sense for both parties to stick it out another year. He did, after all, make the Pro Bowl and All-Pro in his past two seasons in which he played more than a half-season.
Demovsky said the following on Alexander’s connection to the team:
There are good signs that Alexander won’t play another down when his stint with the Packers comes to an end. Many team members have privately voiced their displeasure with Alexander’s incapacity to play through injuries and/or maintain his health.
Recall that on locker clearout day, cornerback Keisean Nixon made headlines by declaring that if he wanted to be the team’s best cornerback, he can no longer return kicks. Alexander told the media that same day that he might not even be on the squad the next season and that he had nothing positive to say about his circumstances. Perhaps when those remarks were made, those two were fully aware of the team’s feelings on its cornerback room.
Due to Alexander’s high dead cap figure, the Packers would only save less than $6 million in 2025 if he were released. According to a recent ESPN article, Alexander’s release would be among the top 20 most expensive releases in NFL history, based on cap considerations.
Alexander may be released by the Packers after June 1st, which would free up additional cap room in the summer and autumn of 2025 but cost the organization that space in 2026. It would likely be wise for Green Bay to just take their medication in 2025 and get the dead cap accounting entirely off their books for the 2026 season, considering that the cap space would only be granted to them after the first few waves of free agency.
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