Just as Green Bay Packers fans started to gain hope that Jaire Alexander would return for his eighth year with the team, the hammer was thrown down, and the former first-rounder was released instead. It was a puzzling way to handle a situation like this, as the Packers opted not to add help to the cornerback position in the draft and now have to rely on a former seventh-rounder to slide into Alexander's spot.
The way the situation was handled was... puzzling, to say the least. That being said, the move does make sense for Green Bay. Alexander was often injured in recent years, missing double-digit games in three of his last four seasons. At some point, teams have to make the decision to move on from players like that rather than continuing to pay them a large chunk of change.
That's what the Packers did here.
Speaking of the financial aspects of this move, the Packers have it all planned out. Instead of spreading out the dead cap from Alexander's contract, the Packers are going to take the hit straight on this year (and that number comes out to $17.04 million, per Over the Cap).
While, yes, that hurts them in the short term, Alexander's contract will be off the books after this year, and that'll free up some money for the Packers to use to address other needs.
Packers may have just redeemed themselves after Jaire Alexander disaster
This whole process with Alexander was beyond frustrating for Packers fans to witness because if this was always going to be the end result, why not try to bolster the cornerback room? The position was weak even with Alexander on the roster, and now it's weaker. It's hard to win in the NFL if the passing defense isn't up to par.
All of that being said, at least the Packers are going to be out of the contract once and for all following this upcoming season. They'll then have the money to bring in some players who can continue to help them reach their goal of winning a Super Bowl.
It's a bummer that it didn't end up working out with Alexander, but the Packers got some really outstanding production from him early in his career. The injuries soon just became too much, and it was time for them to move on and cut bait. Such is life in the NFL.