A primary focus for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason is bolstering their cornerback position. While Jakorian Bennett demonstrated sufficient potential last season to secure a starting role in 2025, Jack Jones’s future with the team is less certain, particularly with Antonio Pierce no longer serving as head coach.
Even if the Raiders retain Jones, his skill set likely aligns better with a CB3 role. They could address this need in the early rounds of the draft by selecting a player like Michigan’s Will Johnson, but they may prefer a more immediate solution.
Las Vegas Raiders – Green Bay Packers Trade Proposal
With the Green Bay Packers actively exploring trade options for two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has suggested the Raiders as a potential landing spot. He proposed a trade scenario involving Alexander being sent to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
“Simply put, the Las Vegas Raiders need impact players on both sides of the ball. They have a need at cornerback and almost $100 million in cap space,” Davenport wrote in a Feb. 27 column. “And at just 28 years old, Alexander could still turn things around and reclaim his status as a shutdown corner.
“With a new regime in Sin City trying to turn things around, acquiring Alexander is worth rolling the dice.”
Alexander’s talent is undeniable; when healthy, he stands as one of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks, a fact underscored by his two Second-Team All-Pro selections. At 28 years old, he remains firmly within his prime. However, his availability has been a persistent concern.
He has participated in only seven games in each of the past two seasons, and similarly, just four games in 2021. This means that in three of the last four seasons, he has missed ten or more games. With two years remaining on an $84 million contract, any team considering acquiring him faces a substantial financial commitment for a player whose consistent health has been a recurring issue.
A fourth-round draft pick represents a relatively modest investment for a player with the potential to significantly impact the Raiders’ defense. Acquiring Jaire Alexander would establish a promising cornerback tandem alongside Jakorian Bennett, freeing up the Raiders’ draft capital to address other roster needs. Therefore, trading for Alexander could prove to be a worthwhile calculated risk.
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Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst has established a track record of making significant roster changes, demonstrating a willingness to trade high-profile players, as evidenced by the past departures of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. When recently questioned about the possibility of trading Jaire Alexander, Gutekunst remained open to the player’s return, while also notably not dismissing the option of a trade.
“We’ll see; we’re working through that. He certainly could be (in Green Bay), but I think we’ll work through that as we go,” Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, per ESPN. “We’ve got to get him out there now. I think obviously we’ve talked about there’s been a lot of frustration on his part. He wants to be out there badly, and not being able to be out there at his best has frustrated him, and that has frustrated our football team, too, because we’re better with him. But we’ll see.”