ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Alexander had knee surgery yesterday
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander tore his PCL against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8. Since then, Alexander has played all of 10 snaps, which came against the Chicago Bears in Week 11.
After weeks of Alexander practicing only to be shut down ahead of gameday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur broke the news on Monday that swelling is a key issue in Alexander’s recovery. On Wednesday, we learned just how severe this swelling issue is.
LaFleur told the press after practice, in which Alexander was a non-participant, that the cornerback will have a season-ending surgery to help speed up his rehab process.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, shortly after LaFleur’s statement, gave us more information, though. According to Schefter, Alexander already had arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday and there’s a chance that Alexander could return to the team by the Super Bowl, if the Packers go on a deep playoff run.
So was LaFleur referring to the surgery Alexander already had when he mentioned that the cornerback had a season-ending surgery lined up? Is Alexander going to have a second surgery? Those answers are uncertain.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein, Alexander’s arthroscopic surgery is “not considered major surgery.” Silverstein also noted that Alexander tried to play through the injury, but “kept tweaking it,” as he did after 10 plays against the Bears in Week 11.
Without Alexander, some combination of Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes will make up the Packers’ outside cornerback rotation for the remainder of the season, with Nixon and safety Javon Bullard being the options for the team in the slot.
The Packers have a significant decision to make about Alexander’s future this offseason. At the moment, he’s scheduled to have a $25.9 million cap hit in 2025, but the team could save around $6 million in cap space with a straight release. Of that $25.9 million cap hit, $17.5 million comes from his scheduled 2025 cash payment while the rest is made up of prorated bonuses that he’s already received. He no longer has guarantees remaining on his contract and does not have a roster bonus left on his deal, meaning that there is no firm date that Green Bay needs to make a decision by.