A Vikings Nemesis — One Who Plays a Position of Need — May Soon Become a Free Agent
In recent years, there has been no shortage of Green Bay Packer defectors. Or, put differently, players who used to find employment in Wisconsin before bringing their talents over to Minnesota.
Consider, for instance, players like edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, corner Bashaud Breeland, defensive end Dean Lowry, corner Chandon Sullivan, and running back Aaron Jones. Does a Vikings nemesis — corner Jaire Alexander — become the next player to take cheese off his head in favor of horns on his helmet?
Vikings Nemesis Jaire Alexander & MIN’s Need at Corner
The word comes courtesy of Pro Football Talk, a site that’s relaying the update from ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Apparently, the suggestion is that there’s a “‘strong'” belief that “Alexander has played his final down for the team.”
The PFT piece goes on: “Alexander has played 14 games over the last two seasons and 34 games over the last four seasons, which led General Manager Brian Gutekunst to admit to frustration on both sides about how things have played out. Alexander has a cap hit of nearly $25 million for the 2025 season. The Packers would clear over $6.8 million of that by releasing him outright and over $17 million if they were to make him a post-June 1 cut.”
The financial incentives of a release certainly add up, at least if we’re considering the likelihood of a cut.
The veteran corner has been a Packer for his entire NFL career.
Back in 2018, Alexander got scooped up at No. 18 after playing his college ball at Louisville. He isn’t the world’s tallest corner but he has a sturdy build at 5’10”, 196. Keep in mind that he is still only 28, has been to the Pro Bowl a pair of times, and has twice been a second-team All Pro. Oh, and he ran a tremendously fast 4.38 forty leading into the draft, which is eye-popping speed.
Alexander, in other words, has the capacity to be a great corner. When healthy and on his game, few in the NFL are better.
Warming up to the corner would take some time for Vikings fans. Not too long ago, Jaire Alexander was quite vocal about his ability to hang with Justin Jefferson, which ended up being prophetic. The Packers’ CB1 got to run with the Vikings’ WR1 back in 2022 and got the best of the matchup at Lambeau.
The appeal, though, is fairly obvious.
Minnesota is seeing all of Byron Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau — the 2024 CB1, CB2, CB3, and CB4 — move toward free agency. As a result, corner is a major need, a position that needs ample reinforcements even if there’s a new deal in place to keep Murphy in town. Alexander would be a home-run swing as a player capable of offering top-tier play but who has struggled to stay healthy.
Back in 2020, Jaire Alexander finished as PFF’s top-rated corner with a blistering 90.7 grade. Most recently, he was coming in as the NFL’s 17th-best corner with a 75.2 grade, but that was across just 7 games last season.
The Vikings will be looking to improve their team once free agency arrives, an ambition that won’t be hindered by a player’s former employer. Maybe Alexander would even welcome the chance to get some revenge on his former team.
Free agency, at least the legal tampering portion, gets started on Monday, March 10th. The Vikings currently have around $56.3 million in open room.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.