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Green Bay Packers v Tennessee Titans | Kara Durrette\/GettyImages<\/em><\/p>\n The Green Bay Packers\u2019 latest offseason spectacle has mercifully come to an end, with the team deciding to release Jaire Alexander. A move of this magnitude naturally brings plenty of division among Packers fans\u2014some happy with the decision, and many others concerned about the state of the defense.<\/p>\n The biggest question remaining, though, is what Green Bay will do with the $17 million they\u2019re saving by releasing Alexander. That adds to the team\u2019s existing cap room, bringing the total to roughly $46 million under the cap. Generally speaking, teams go into a season with some cap space available for the inevitable in-season moves. That said, there\u2019s still about $30\u201335 million left to play with\u2014and the Packers need to do something.<\/p>\n The most likely moves we\u2019ll see first are a couple of internal extensions. Elgton Jenkins is looking for additional contract guarantees with his potential move to the center position. Zach Tom has been one of the top tackles in football and is entering the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n Green Bay will also need to make a decision on both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Each has dealt with injury concerns, and Watson is expected to miss at least some time this season after tearing his ACL in the regular-season finale. Both are in the final years of their contracts and can make a strong case for the Packers to keep them around.<\/p>\n Defensively, the team will have to decide whether or not to re-sign Quay Walker. They already declined his fifth-year option, with the expectation that a longer deal could follow. Isaiah Simmons is on a one-year \u201cprove it\u201d deal and may be a cheaper option than Walker.<\/p>\n Cornerback depth remains a major concern for this team. Even with Alexander on the roster, depth was questionable. Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine have been good\u2014not great\u2014but rolling with either of them as CB1 is a gamble. Nate Hobbs will certainly be an upgrade over Eric Stokes and Corey Ballentine, but can he match Jaire Alexander\u2019s level of production?<\/p>\n Asante Samuel Jr. could be a key piece of the Packers\u2019 defense. Though injuries limited him during the 2024 campaign, he played all 17 games in both 2023 and 2022, recording two interceptions in each season. He\u2019s proven to be highly capable in both zone and man coverage, and he plays with a very high football IQ.<\/p>\n Perhaps the best part is he likely won\u2019t cost much of that $45 million in cap space and could be signed to a one- or two-year deal, with extension potential after next season. After making it through the first waves of free agency, Green Bay could be the team to sneak in and grab the young corner.<\/p>\n Sports are a uniquely interesting business. Sometimes, you get the chance\u2014years later\u2014to land a player who once got away. Other times, you have the opportunity to bring in someone who was once a bitter rival. The Green Bay Packers could very well do either in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n In the former situation, the Packers could ink Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore was once closely linked to Green Bay before he was ultimately traded to the Carolina Panthers back in 2021. \u201cGilly Lock\u201d may not be the Pro Bowl-caliber player he was during his days with the New England Patriots, but he\u2019s still a solid contributor. In 2024, he appeared in 15 games for Minnesota, recording one interception and nine passes defensed.<\/p>\n The team could also explore a trade for Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey carries a $16 million cap hit as it stands, with three seasons remaining on his contract after this year. While he\u2019s been around the league for a while, he\u2019s not quite as long in the tooth as Gilmore\u2014he\u2019ll turn 31 in October. Ramsey was a Pro Bowler in 2023 and appeared in all 17 games in 2024, recording two interceptions.<\/p>\n Sometimes, the best secondary weapon is a great pass rush. You don\u2019t have to cover as long if the quarterback is being chased or sacked. Two prominent pass rushers are currently in contract disputes and could be ripe for the taking\u2014neither has reported to mandatory minicamp.<\/p>\n Much like the case with Gilmore, Green Bay could try to land a player they once had a chance to draft. In this case, it would be T.J. Watt. The Wisconsin native and former Badgers star was heavily speculated to be in the Packers\u2019 sights during the 2017 NFL Draft. Instead, Green Bay traded down and selected Kevin King. King went on to be frequently injured and eventually fizzled out of the league. Meanwhile, Watt became a star in Pittsburgh, earning recognition as a 7-time Pro Bowler, 6-time All-Pro, and the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n Another player somewhat linked to the Packers this offseason is Trey Hendrickson. Prior to the Bengals franchise tagging the pass rusher, Green Bay was named by NFL insiders as a possible landing spot. While Cincinnati did tag him and talks initially seemed headed toward a long-term deal, things fizzled out pretty quickly.<\/p>\n Hendrickson should absolutely be the top priority of the two. While a trade could cost the Packers a good amount of draft capital, he\u2019s on a one-year, $21 million deal\u2014a few million less than Rashan Gary, despite offering much higher production. Once a trade is finalized for either pass rusher, Green Bay would then need to work out an extension.<\/p>\n This may be a cynical way to look at things, but sometimes it feels like the most likely option for the Packers\u2019 front office is to do nothing. While that would certainly upset Packers fans\u2014myself included\u2014it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see Green Bay take the cap savings this year and try to roll it over into next season.<\/p>\n In some sense, this does tie into internal extensions\u2014just not as splashy. News broke Tuesday that Bo Melton was getting reps on the defense. While nobody would confuse Melton for Travis Hunter, it\u2019s worth noting that Melton\u2019s brother was a second-round pick at cornerback in last year\u2019s draft, so maybe there\u2019s some family genes there.<\/p>\n Jaire Alexander\u2019s exit leaves the Green Bay Packers with cash to spend and crucial choices to make this offseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\n5 moves Packers must make after Jaire Alexander release<\/h2>\n
1. Internal extensions<\/h2>\n
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2. Sign Asante Samuel Jr.<\/h2>\n
3. Land a veteran corner<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n4. Acquire and extend a pass rusher<\/h2>\n
5. Nothing<\/h2>\n
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