Latest Big Name Trap Doesn't Fit Eagles

A big name is likely becoming available, and you know what that means in Philadelphia.

The Packers are moving on from two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander after a late push for a restructured deal at a reduced salary came up empty.

Alexander, 28, was set to make over $16 million this season for Green Bay as one of the elite coverage corners in the NFL. The issue is that the Louisville product has missed significant time in three of the past four seasons.

Alerting others that Alexander is set to be released is a late-ditch effort to garner something in a trade by the Packers.

The inference of Alexander not wanting to accept a financial haircut in Green Bay is that the belief is a significant salary will be there on the open market for him even at this late stage, which seems like a fair assessment considering the number of CB-needy teams around the NFL.

The Eagles are unlikely to make any kind of move on Alexander for several reasons, beginning with the financial discipline they have adhered to this offseason. 

Philadelphia has been preparing for a wave of extensions, which already started with Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens. Next up is underrated safety Reed Blankenship, followed by Jalen Carter and potentially Nolan Smith after this season, and likely Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean post-2026.

The idea is cash over cap with that future in mind, so promising $ 15M-or-so to Alexander despite the usual cap tricks isn’t helping with the future financial outputs being planned for.

More so, on the field, Alexander is probably not the best fit for a Vic Fangio defense as a player who excels and wants to be in more press coverage than off-coverage looks.

An NFL source told Eagles on SI  that Alexander is a personable guy and claimed that the negative perceptions of him are off-base. That said, it was also acknowledged that he has a big personality that some can take in negative directions.

The injury issues are also real, considering that Alexander played only seven games in both 2023 and 2024, and only four in 2021, making a 16-game 2022 season the outlier.

The Eagles' idea for now remains to see what Kelee Ringo does over the summer, something that could result in two cost-effective years opposite a rising star in Mitchell, who is under Eagles control at a manageable price for at least three more seasons.

If Ringo isn’t ready, there also seems to be a quiet confidence around the NovaCare Complex with veteran Adoree’ Jackson as a low-cost insurance policy.

If the Eagles wanted to pay big money to a CB they would have just run it back with former team captain Darius Slay, who, despite his advancing age, played very well in the 2024-25 Super Bowl season and was a big part of the team’s chemistry.

Waking up one day in June and changing course for an oft-injured, pricey roll of the dice isn’t very Eagles-like.