Former Packers CB Jaire Alexander suffered a PCL injury that caused him to miss the second half of the season. Some playoff team will take a flyer on him. Should it be the 49ers?
After attempting to trade him at various points over the past calendar year, the Green Bay Packers are releasing former first-round pick and 2-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The injury-riddled Alexander has never lacked talent. He was an All-Pro as recently as 2022 — the last time he started double-digit games in a season. However, Alexander has played seven games or fewer in three of the past four seasons. The Packers didn’t have much of a choice to part ways with Alexander.
A playoff team is going to roll the dice and buy low on him, given Alexander’s skill set. He’s the kind of cornerback who you can leave on an island and, more often than not, will not just win his 1-on-1 matchups but get his hands on the pass.
Would a team like the San Francisco 49ers be interested in this opportunity? Cap space isn’t an issue. Signing Alexander would allow Deommodore Lenoir to stay at nickel and take pressure off second-year corner Renardo Green, all while not having to force rookie Upton Stout or one of the free agent signings, like Tre Brown, into the lineup.
The issue with that is Alexander being in and out of the lineup, which can hinder the development of the young players if he can’t stay on the field.
Alexander’s 2024 sums up who he has been in recent seasons. He had two pass breakups and picked off Jalen Hurts while defending A.J. Brown in Week 1. After another pass breakup in Week 2, Alexander followed that up with a pick-six in Week 3.
However, he sustained a quad injury, causing him to miss the next two weeks of the season. Alexander returned in Week 6, but a PCL injury in Week 9 would effectively end his season after head coach Matt LaFleur said that Alexander had swelling in his knee. Alexander underwent surgery on January 1 and did not participate in the playoffs.
Should the 49ers take a flyer on Alexander?