Packers Urged to Trade For 'Upside' Cornerback to Replace Jaire Alexander 1 Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley talks with fans before their game against the Houston Texans Sunday, October 20, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Packers Urged to Trade For ‘Upside’ Cornerback to Replace Jaire Alexander

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 3:48 PM ET

The Packers suddenly have a glaring hole to fill.

After releasing former Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and the Packers must address a premium position both in terms of the caliber of wide receivers Green Bay will face this season but in where the emphasis lies in the second-year coach’s system.

A trade with the defending Super Bowl champions could be a low-risk gamble that could net a potential top contributor for Hafley’s defense.

Could the Packers Trade for Philadelphia Eagles CB Eli Ricks?

The Philadelphia Eagles just won a Super Bowl, back in February, and boast one of the deepest rosters in the league.

However, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman values draft picks more than most and Philadelphia just chose Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the 2024 draft and both young cornerbacks proved pivotal to last season’s championship.

Over at Heavy Sports, Beth Mishier-Elmore suggests that Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks could be a top candidate to replace Jaire Alexander in the Packers’ secondary.

“The Eagles could benefit from trading Ricks,” Mishier-Elmore writes for Heavy. “By snagging a draft pick without creating a roster hole. At just 23 years old and still on a cost-controlled deal, Ricks fits the mold of players other teams often covet during camp or preseason.

“In a realistic trade scenario, the Eagles could send Ricks to the Packers in exchange for a conditional 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The conditions on the pick could escalate it to a fourth-rounder if Ricks plays at least 50% of the Packers’ defensive snaps or logs 5 or more interceptions during the 2025 season.”

Green Bay could easily take a low-risk but high-reward gamble that Ricks reaches his potential under Hafley’s watch, and the Eagles would be netting a draft pick they could use to continue building out their core, in a deal that could benefit both teams. Maybe significantly.

Green Bay Packers: Does Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley Have an NFL Head Coaching Job in His Future? 9 Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is shown before their game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Solider Field in Chicago, Illinois. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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