Jaire Alexander’s time in Green Bay has come to an end.

Multiple outlets reported Monday morning that the Packers would release the former All-Pro cornerback after not being able to come to an agreement that would have brought the 28-year-old back into the fold. Green Bay made it official in the afternoon.

“In his seven seasons with the Packers, Jaire established himself as one of the premier players in the NFL at one of the game’s most challenging positions,” GM Brian Gutekunst said in a release. “His contributions to our organization were felt on the field, in the locker room and in our community, and he will be missed. We appreciate all he gave and we wish him all the best moving forward.”

For much of the offseason, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Alexander would not return to the only team he played for. The Packers were reportedly open to trading him, and if they couldn’t, he would likely be released. But a few weeks ago reports surfaced that the team had offered him a re-worked contract and he was seriously considering it. However, that clearly ended up not happening and now the first pick Gutekunst ever made when he took over in 2018 is going to be playing elsewhere.

Alexander turned into one of the top cornerbacks in the league after Gutekunst took him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, leading to Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in 2020 and 2022. But over the last two seasons he’s played in just 16 of a possible 38 games. Most of those were due to injury, though he was also suspended one game in 2023 for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Packers made Alexander the highest-paid cornerback in football prior to the 2022 season. He still had two years left on that deal. Though the Packers were not in need of cap space, the move will free up more if they wanted to make another move or use it for a contract extension for another player.

Without Alexander, the Packers top three cornerbacks during OTAs were Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine. Green Bay did not add a cornerback in the draft until the seventh round when grabbing Micah Robinson from Tulane.

The Packers will close out their offseason program this week with a three-day mandatory minicamp.

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