The Green Bay Packers released veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander on Monday, and one quote from team president Mark Murphy perfectly summed up why they made that decision.
Murphy spoke to the media Monday and called Alexander an “elite talent” who had been a great player for the Packers. However, he suggested the Packers would be able to move on without Alexander, because the cornerback’s history of injuries has meant that the team has already been playing without him for a majority of their games.
“The reality is, for the last four years (with) Jaire, it’s about half of the games he’s been able to play, so we’ve kind of been used to it,” Murphy said.
Mark Murphy on the Packers releasing Jaire Alexander: “ He has been a great player for us. Obviously, elite talent. Unfortunately, just injured a lot.” pic.twitter.com/gJmPInutpK
— Dave Schroeder (@SchroederWBAY) June 9, 2025
Murphy is spot on with his commentary. Alexander has played in 34 of a possible 68 regular season games for the Packers since the start of the 2021 season. He was able to play virtually a full 2022 season, but in the other three campaigns, he missed the majority of games.
Alexander was an expensive player for the Packers, and he simply was not on the field frequently enough to justify that expense. It is entirely possible that the 28-year-old is able to stay healthy going forward, but the Packers are not being unreasonable to have doubts about that outcome.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Alexander has played in seven games in each of the last two seasons. He has 12 career interceptions and 287 total tackles since entering the league in 2018.
