Jaire Alexander Reveals When He Knew It Was Over Between Him and Green Bay Packers

It's not that he didn't understand. He knew he was making a lot of money at the time and he was coming off that injury. Alexander even wrote that he was comfortable taking less money in order to prove himself.

With that said, he and the Packers were at an impasse and he then had to come to grips with the reality that the place he had called home for seven years was no longer going to be his home.

After a few weeks, I kinda got the hint. Like, Hmmmm maybe the Packers don’t really want me around anymore.

So now, all of a sudden, I’m needing to think about maybe playing for another team — something I’d never really considered in the past," Alexander wrote. "I’d always thought of myself as a Packer for life, had always wanted to end my career in Green Bay.  And yeah, I understand that the NFL is a business. I get that. But at the same time, just being honest here … it wasn’t easy for me coming to grips with that possibility. With the idea of potentially not being a Packer anymore."

Nov 5, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) signs autographs for fans after their game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images.

The Packers have famously been ruthless with their homegrown veterans over the years. Heck, this is a franchise that drafted a replacement for Brett Favre and then traded him to the New York Jets. They then replaced his replacement, Aaron Rodgers, with Jordan Love and traded Rodgers away to the Jets.

That's just how the Packers have done business over the years. There's not a ton of sentimentality when it comes to the business side of football.

It has rubbed former players the wrong way, but it's hard to deny that the Packers' mindset hasn't worked out for them. They'd rather move on too early than too late, and multiple star players they've moved on from could never recapture their old form.

That's been true for everyone from Favre to Rodgers. From Jordy Nelson to Clay Matthews.

Alexander was just the latest in a long line of players to prove the Packers right.

He played in just two games for the Ravens in 2025 as he battled his knee, which never got better. The Ravens then traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he never played a snap for Philly. He stepped away from football the night before the Eagles travelled to play the Packers in Green Bay.

Now, Alexander is on the journey of healing -- both physically and mentally.

"People still sometimes ask me if I’m ever gonna come back and play. And, you know what … I’ll never say never — I still work out, and the knee’s fine now, so I’m in good shape. But for me, right now, the most important thing really is just to be in a good place overall. To be happy," he wrote.

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