The Green Bay Packers are likely going to add a cornerback or two to their roster during the offseason. Eric Stokes, their first round pick in 2021, is hitting free agency after Green Bay declined his fifth-year option. This was, of course, because of injury issues that forced him to miss the better part of two seasons leading up to 2024 NFL season.
And while he played in all 17 games last season, there are still concerns about Stokes’ quality of play. He allowed a 62.1% completion percentage and a passer rating of 100.0 when targeted last year. This is a far cry from the level of play he displayed as a rookie when he allowed a 49.5% completion percentage and 74.1 passer rating.
Of course, it is possible that the Packers bring Stokes back in 2025 on a short-term deal considering the likely departure of Jaire Alexander.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Jaire Alexander May Not Be Back in 2025
As fans are well aware, Alexander’s future in Green Bay is, at this point, murky at best. Not only has the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback made statements indicating his unhappiness with the organization, the team itself has admittedly been frustrated by Alexander’s frequent injuries.
Since signing his four-year $84 contract, a deal that, at the time, made him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, the two-time Second Team All-Pro has played in just 50% of the Packers’ regular season games.
There is no question that, when healthy, Alexander is still one of the best coverage corners in the game. However, the problem is that he rarely has been healthy. After playing just seven games in 2023, both the Packers and their star corner hoped that 2024 would see him fully healthy.
And while he got off to a strong start last season, it was not long until injuries derailed his season. He missed two games early due to a groin injury, and then virtually the entire second half of the season after injuring his knee against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While Alexander was able to practice as a full participant in the season’s latter weeks, he never suited up on gameday. Eventually, the Packers announced he was having season-ending surgery on his knee. After the Packers were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles, Alexander told reporters that he had nothing good to say and that he was not sure he would be back next year.
Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst Addresses Jaire Alexander’s Future
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had this to say about Alexander and his future in Green Bay:
“We’ll see, we’re working through that. We’ll work through that as we go along.
“We have to get him out there more. “There’s a lot of frustration on his part, he wants to be out there badly. Not being able to be out there at his best is frustrating to him. And obviously, we’re better with him, but we’ll see.”
According to Tom Silverstein, Gutekunst is meeting with John Thornton, Alexander’s agent, in Indianapolis this week. Obviously, this meeting will go a long way in determining whether or not the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback returns to the Packers in 2025.