Green Bay Packers exploring creative solutions to cornerback depth at minicamp

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have decided to release cornerback Jaire Alexander after failing to reach an agreement on a restructured deal.

Despite no pre-draft trades, no cornerbacks selected until late in the seventh round, and reports of contract restructuring negotiations, the Packers ultimately chose to move on from Alexander before minicamp began.

General Manager Brian Gutekunst cited Alexander's availability as a key factor in the decision.

"Over the last four years, there's been a lot of games missed, and I just think for what that amount of money is, I think that's a lot to pay for a guy who hasn't been able to get out on the field," Gutekunst explained. "Again, it's not his fault. It's just something that kind of transpired, so we just kind of were looking for something different."

Alexander appeared in just 14 regular-season games over the past two years, raising concerns about his durability relative to his contract value.

Watch: Green Bay Packers exploring creative solutions to cornerback depth at minicamp

Despite losing a starter in their secondary, Gutekunst expressed confidence in the team's cornerback depth.

"No, I feel really good, really good about obviously the three guys that you know, I think combined about 95 starts under their belt," he added. "The three guys have proven their ability in this league. I like their makeup, their toughness, their ability to play, their versatility, so no, I'm excited about that group."

The Packers will now rely on Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine as their primary cornerbacks. However, with limited experienced depth behind them, the team is exploring creative solutions.

On the first day of minicamp, the Packers worked out wide receiver Bo Melton at cornerback, a move that surprised quarterback Jordan Love.

"Yeah, no, that was definitely confusing," Love joked. "It looked like Bo was a receiver out there, but he was actually playing DB, so I was trying not to throw it to him... He's a team guy. He's ready to do whatever's asked of him."

Head coach Matt LaFleur explained the experiment with Melton's position flexibility.

"If there is somebody that can potentially do both, he would be that guy," LaFleur stated. "I think a lot of it is just from his production on [special] teams and just his ability to go out there and make plays on teams."

LaFleur jokingly added that Melton might be trying to prove to his brother Max, who plays for the Arizona Cardinals, that he's the better defensive back. Gutekunst confirmed they will continue exploring Melton's versatility at cornerback as a potential option moving forward.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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