NFL free agency: Packers release superstar cornerback & Panthers should pounce

Jaire Alexander to the Panthers has a nice ring to it.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) reacts after intercepting a pass during the first quarter of the wild card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, January 14, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Throughout the offseason, the Carolina Panthers have been linked to a possible Jaire Alexander trade. The star Green Bay Packers cornerback was a prime trade candidate as a star player on an admittedly large contract, one that the Packers wanted to move off of. The Panthers could have and still can use another corner in the secondary.

As of today, Alexander is available, but not for trade. Green Bay evidently failed to find a trade partner, so Ian Rapoport is reporting that they're releasing the former Pro Bowl CB today, making him a free agent for any team to sign. The Panthers ought to be that team.

They do have much more of a need at safety, but there aren't any safeties of Alexander's caliber on the open market like that. Plus, behind Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, there's not a whole lot of depth.

The Panthers face WRs like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and others twice a year. That doesn't even include tight ends like Kyle Pitts. Having multiple good cornerbacks is always smart, and it's fair to say that a Horn, Alexander, Jackson trio would be among the best in the league.

Horn is a lockdown defender who just got the biggest (at the time) contract for an NFL DB in history. Jackson was graded higher by PFF, so Carolina has a good duo already. Alexander, who becomes a free agent after training camp is underway, wouldn't cost as much as he used to, and he won't require draft capital to acquire, so things are breaking for Carolina to make a cheap, valuable move here.

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