The Green Bay Packers and cornerback Jaire Alexander could not reach a reworked contract agreement this offseason, prompting the team to release him on Monday after seven seasons.

While the two-time Pro Bowler was once a strong defensive player for the Packers, injuries plagued his last two seasons, limiting him to only compete in 14 games over those two years. Green Bay is somewhat "used to" playing without him because of those injuries, Packers president Mark Murphy admitted when asked about the gap at the cornerback position now.

"He has been a great player for us. Obviously, elite talent," Murphy told WBAY's Dave Schroeder on Monday. "Unfortunately, just injured a lot. Unfortunately that's a big part of our game. ... The reality is for like the last four years, about half of the games he's been able to play, so we've kind of been used to it."

The Packers did make moves to attempt to replace Alexander on defense by signing cornerback Nate Hobbs this offseason and drafting Tulane cornerback Micah Robinson in the seventh round in April.

Releasing Alexander was a financial move for the Packers, too, as Alexander still had two years left on his four-year, $84 million deal, and was set to make over $16.1 million this season. The Packers saved over $6 million by releasing him. The Packers opened trade conversations regarding Alexander back in February, but didn't get much bite from other teams.

Alexander's 2024 season ended with a PCL injury that placed him on the injured reserve list for the postseason. He underwent surgery and is expected to return for the 2025 season, but now he will need to land on a new NFL team.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Packers President Explains Why Releasing Jaire Alexander Doesn’t Change Much for Defense.

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