Green Bay Packers

Will the Packers Ever Recoup the Value Of Jaire Alexander’s Contract?

Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

As the proud owner of a home green No. 23 Jaire Alexander jersey, this pains me to write. Nobody wants to question the value of one of their favorite players. I’m not saying Alexander isn’t a great player when he’s on the field; he is. However, the cold, hard truth is that the Green Bay Packers have not gotten good value on Alexander’s contract, which was record-breaking at the time. The bigger question is if they ever will.

He remains one of the top cornerbacks in the league and is the best on Green Bay’s roster. He’s the best corner not named Charles Woodson the team has employed in a long time. The issue lies in Alexander’s ability to stay on the field and consistently contribute to the defense.

The Packers signed Alexander to a four-year, $84 million deal in 2022. In doing so, they made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL in annual salary, surpassing Denzel Ward’s $21 million per year average. Green Bay rewarded Alexander for his spectacular play up to that point, making him the cornerstone of their defense.

To his credit, he was a second-team All-Pro the year after signing his deal. However, he’s had trouble staying on the field since then.

The Injury Concerns

Injuries are a given in the NFL, and no one can predict when or how they will occur. Every contract in every sport carries a certain amount of risk, and Alexander’s deal was no exception.

The team inherits some injury risk, some involving the player’s performance and inability to play up to the contract. There was added risk in Alexander’s case due to injury. He was coming off an abbreviated 2021 season, during which a shoulder injury limited him to four regular-season games. Since then, nagging health woes have continued to affect his availability.

Since the start of the 2021 season, the Packers have played 61 games. Alexander has missed 26 of them – 42% of possible games. In 2023 alone, he missed nine games due to back and shoulder injuries and one game due to suspension. While he seems to have resolved his bizarre suspension issues, his injury troubles have persisted.

Alexsander’s injury issues have persisted this year. He has missed three full games: Week 4 against Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings, Week 5 against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, and Week 9 against the division-leading Detroit Lions.

Most recently, during a crucial divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears following Green Bay’s bye week, Alexander managed only 10 snaps before exiting with a re-aggravated knee injury. The Packers won two of the games he missed or barely played in. Still, it would undoubtedly help to have their All-Pro corner available against top-tier receivers like Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and D.J. Moore, all of whom have a history of torching Green Bay.

Production On the Field

When Alexander is on the field, he always makes an impact and is a legitimate field tilter, which makes his injuries even more frustrating. His 75.2 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade is the best on the team this season by a wide margin, surpassing the next-highest grade (Keisean Nixon’s 56.8).

Entering 2024, Alexander was ranked as PFF’s seventh-best cornerback, boasting a stellar 91.9-overall grade from 2020 to 2022. Ironically, that grade would have ranked him above Sauce Gardner at No. 1 if not for his injury history, which PFF cites as the reason for his lower ranking.

Unfortunately, Alexander has done little to quell those concerns this season. After pulling out of Sunday’s game early, this pattern will likely continue.

Impact On Green Bay’s Game Plan

Alexander’s injuries don’t just affect the secondary; they complicate Green Bay’s game plan. The Packers didn’t invest heavily in cornerbacks this offseason, re-signing Keisean Nixon and Corey Ballentine as free agents. They also drafted Kalen King in the seventh round, who didn’t make the roster out of camp and is now on the practice squad.

The team expected Alexander to be available weekly. They doubled down on this gamble by not adding anyone at the trade deadline. Even recently, instead of adding some much-needed depth along the defensive line, they signed corner Robert Rochell off the practice squad to add depth if Alexander couldn’t go. Considering the team traded away Preston Smith a week ago, they could have added defensive line depth. However, they had to add resources to the secondary with No. 23’s uncertain status.

It’s challenging for head coach Matt LaFleur and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to build a game plan with Alexander’s uncertain availability. He went through pregame workouts on Sunday, and the medical staff cleared him to play.

When pressed on why he dropped out, LaFleur later explained that Alexander was on a “pitch count,” hoping he could make it through the entire game that way. However, that plan didn’t work out as intended, and something flared up between the pregame workout and the end of the first quarter, which should be a concern moving forward.

Game planning with and without an All-Pro cornerback is vastly different. Alexander’s presence allows the defense to shut down an opponent’s top receiver and create opportunities for the pass rush, which has struggled this season. With a stronger secondary, the Packers could afford to blitz more effectively and manufacture pressure, something they’ve lacked with Alexander sidelined.

Moving Forward

Jaire Alexander brings a swagger and confidence to the Packers defense that no one else does, and he backs it up with his play – when he’s on the field. He can contribute consistently to the level his contract dictates he should.

Green Bay is undoubtedly a better football team when Alexander is on the field. That’s why they traded back up and drafted him in the first round in 2018, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. However, for the Packers to get full value from Alexander’s contract, they must find a way to keep him available. As the saying goes, the best ability is availability. For now, it’s hard to argue the Packers have gotten their money’s worth.

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