The Green Bay Packers made a slightly surprising decision on Monday morning, announcing that they will be releasing two-time Pro Bowl CB Jaire Alexander. Despite his injury setbacks, Alexander has been among the top NFL corners when healthy for a long time now and there will be plenty of teams lining up to take a swing on that upside. Should the Eagles be one of them?
Packers release Jaire Alexander
The move comes with big salary cap implications for the Packers. Alexander was on the nose for a $24M salary cap hit this upcoming season, and parting ways will save them over $17M in cap space. Given that the Packers were unable to find a trade suitor or renegotiate the contract, it’s a big sign for interested teams that his contract value could look a little more appetising.
The 28-year-old signed a monster deal back in 2022 and backed it up on the field with 5 picks, 14 pass breakups and over 50 tackles. Since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. Alexander has only played in 14 games over the last two seasons due to injury setbacks, including a PCL tear in 2024. Injuries have long been the the one thing stopping Alexander reaching that elite level, and given how most of his previous campaign was haunted by lingering setbacks and the eventual PCL tear, it’s hard to say what his future looks like.
Could the Eagles be a fit?
With that said, the Eagles could well be a strong suitor. Not only did they recently clear a lot of cap space with the Bryce Huff trade, but the team lost Darius Slay to free agency this past offseason, and are relying on the combination of Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson to fill his cleats. While the team is high on Ringo, bringing in a low-risk, high-reward player like Alexander could bring them great rewards, if the price is right, with the Louisville product lining up alongside Quinyon Mitchell in this hypothetical scenario.
The Eagles are also renowned for their sports-science program. Say what you want about Chip Kelly and his controversial focus on that area, but Howie Roseman and his staff have taken a lot from that era. The team was the NFL’s second healthiest in 2024, and haven’t had more than 10 players end their season on IR since 2021. In fact, that number has been below 10 in 8 of the last 13 seasons.
It’s not like Philadelphia hasn’t taken punts on injury-related red flags in that time, either. Nakobe Dean’s draft stock dropped drastically because of injury concerns, and Jihaad Campbell’s offseason surgery is what enabled him to fall into the clutches of Roseman in the depths of the first round, despite being a clear top-10 talent.
If Alexander was to sign with the Eagles, he wouldn’t be expected to start right away or rushed back from injury. The team clearly understands when the risk/reward ratio is at its optimal level, and if they can somehow snag a two-time Pro Bowler on the cheap and allow him to compete for a starting role in his own time, this could be another Howie-esque move that pins Philadelphia at the very top of the NFL heirarchy.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
