Another former Green Bay Packers veteran cornerback has found a new team for 2025 on the same day that Jaire Alexander joined the Baltimore Ravens.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms Wednesday with veteran cornerback Robert Rochell on a one-year contract for the 2025 season. He played 20 games, primarily on special teams, for the Packers over the last two seasons.
“Another new home for another former Packers cornerback: Free-agent CB Robert Rochell reached [an] agreement today on a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, per agent Kevin Conner of @UniSportsMgmt,” Schefter wrote Wednesday afternoon.
Rochell will now join his second team of the 2025 offseason after departing the Packers during NFL free agency in the spring. The 27-year-old had originally signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in late March, but they released him in early May after selecting rookie cornerback Nohl Williams in the third round of the 2025 draft.
In Dallas, Rochell will have an opportunity to compete for a depth spot in the Cowboys’ cornerback rotation behind perimeter starters Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, though third-round rookie Shavon Revel Jr., Kaiir Elam, Caelen Carson and Andrew Booth Jr. give him plenty of competition to make the 53-man roster, even as a special-teamer.
Jaire Alexander Lands With Ravens After Packers Release
Rochell’s agreement with the Cowboys is relevant to the Packers, but it was far from the most relevant cornerback news of the day for them with the Ravens landing Alexander.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Alexander signed a one-year deal that could be worth up to $6 million with the Ravens for the 2025 season, choosing to reunite with his former college teammate, quarterback Lamar Jackson, and help the Ravens chase a Super Bowl championship even though he “could’ve gotten more [money] elsewhere.”
The Packers released Alexander from their roster on June 9, cutting ties after trying to trade him multiple times in the offseason and making at least one attempt to keep him on an “incentive-laden” restructured contract, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Breer did not disclose the terms of the contract the Packers offered to Alexander, but his signing with the Ravens for a maximum value of $6 million — which is well within Green Bay’s price point — suggests one of two things: either Alexander had no desire to return to the Packers in 2025 or the Packers low-balled him to the point of frustration.
Either way, it will sting for the Packers if Alexander goes on to thrive in Baltimore.
Will Packers Add Another CB Before Training Camp?
In the aftermath of Alexander’s release, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has expressed confidence in the team’s cornerback room heading into 2025’s training camp.
“The three guys have proven their ability in this league,” Gutekunst said last Tuesday about cornerbacks Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine. “I like their makeup, their toughness, their ability to play, their versatility. So I’m excited about that group.”
Even with confidence in the top three, though, the Packers might consider signing more cornerback help in the coming weeks to ensure they find they find the right backups.
Coming out of OTAs, seventh-round rookie Micah Robinson and Kalen King are the frontrunners to supply depth on the perimeter, but King was spotted with a cast on his right arm toward the end of spring workouts, sparking concern about his availability. The Packers also tested out wide receiver Bo Melton at cornerback, but head coach Matt LaFleur has described the move as “fluid” and based on need and special-teams play.
Now, the Packers do have a “fourth” cornerback in the versatile Javon Bullard, a 2024 second-round pick who will expectedly reprise his role as their starting slot cornerback. With more than $35 million in cap space, though, the Packers can afford to bring in a more experienced veteran to push the group and potentially add an injury safeguard.
