Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Packers are taking a real risk by letting Jaire Alexander practice without a revised contract in place ahead of the season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated May 28, 2025 11:23 AM ET

General manager Brian Gutekunst is excellent at waiting. He doesn't make big decisions until he has to, and it usually helps him win negotiations and have more flexibility to build the Green Bay Packers roster.

That's what he is doing with the Jaire Alexander situation—our friend Andy Herman did a great step-by-step timeline. The Packers don't have a firm, obvious deadline to make a call on Alexander until Week 1. Free agency is gone, the draft is gone, so now Gutekunst can sit and see what happens. This week, however, is in fact a soft deadline, and if the Packers don't make a decision, there will be real risk involved.

Alexander has $700,000 tied up in voluntary offseason participation, which leads him to attend the organized team activities (OTAs)—and according to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, he will report. The problem is not necessarily the $700,000, but further implications it can bring.

The Packers offered Jaire Alexander a revised contract for him to stay. However, the cornerback hasn't accepted the proposal yet.

Why it's risky

The Packers can't prohibit Alexander from attending team activities, because he's under contract. They might find a common ground and decide he won't do on-field work, which would bring another set of challenges.

But the point is that Alexander could get hurt in practice, and that would be a massive issue for the Packers. A mid- or long-term injury would mean his contract would be practically guaranteed, either via being on injured reserve or via injury grievance.

Jaire reporting to mini-camp is forcing the issue with the Packers. They can't prevent him showing - it's mandatory.

If he gets injured then he potentially gets his entire contract - either by sitting on IR or via injury grievance - Packers absolutely do not want either.
— Ken - Packers Cap (@KenIngalls) May 27, 2025

That would be the worst-case scenario. Green Bay would have to pay Alexander his $17.5 million, they would keep his $24.636 million cap hit in 2025, and they wouldn't have the cornerback on the field nor get any type of trade compensation.

Sure, this is a nightmare scenario. But it's the risk the Packers are taking by delaying a decision about his future.

Why it's a tough situation to solve

For the Packers, it would be great to solve the situation as soon as possible. But Alexander hasn't accepted the offer, and releasing him now would mean allowing other teams (and potentially NFC contenders) to sign him before training camp. If Green Bay won't get any type of compensation, at least it would make sense to delay it and hinder what he can do for opponents.

A trade would be a viable alternative as well, but no other team has been willing to absorb Alexander's full deal—and he hasn't wanted to take a paycut for the Packers or anybody else.

If the Packers want to make a decision now, they would have to concede to what Alexander wants in a restructure or release him. They should evaluate, though, if simply taking the risk could make more sense in the situation.

It's not an easy decision, and that's why Brian Gutekunst is paid after all.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: