Matt LaFleur Explains Why Packers Suspended Jaire Alexander

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander will not be on the field for a must-win showdown against Justin Jefferson and the Vikings on Sunday night.

GREEN BAY Wis. – Even with a must-win game looming against Justin Jefferson and Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers suspended cornerback Jaire Alexander for one game on Wednesday for “conduct detrimental” to the team.

Alexander was not supposed to be one of the three pregame captains for Sunday’s victory at Carolina. Alexander appointed himself one, anyway.

General manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur handed down the punishment, which was rendered for issues that run deeper than Sunday’s pregame.

“It’s never for one thing,” LaFleur said. “I think there’s a lot of lessons along the way from everybody involved and, hopefully, we learn from them. I think we will. I think there will be probably better communication moving forward.”

LaFleur said he’s “looking forward” to Alexander returning to the lineup for the Week 18 game against the Bears.

“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Jaire's actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step.

“As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”

The stakes couldn’t be higher, with the Packers playing a must-win game at the Vikings on New Year’s Eve.

Jefferson, who has more receiving yards than any player in NFL history through the first four seasons of his career, ranks second in the NFL this season with 102.9 receiving yards per game. He is coming off a game of six catches for 141 yards and one touchdown in the loss to Detroit.

Jefferson in his last two home games against the Packers caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 and nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.

But, because of Alexander’s selfish act, the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history won’t be on the field for a primetime matchup against a premier player with playoff hopes on the line.

“Next man up,” LaFleur said. “That’s the mentality, no matter what position. It’s a competitive situation and we’re going to put the guys that are in there that we feel are going to give us the best opportunity to win the football game.”

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Alexander is a Charlotte native so thought he should be on the field with captains last week.

“I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte,” Alexander said after the game.

Not only did Alexander go rogue by making himself a captain, he almost botched the opening coin toss.

LaFleur instructed the captains to defer the decision to the second half. That means the Panthers would choose to take the ball for the first half and the Packers would choose to take the ball for the second half.

Instead, Alexander said he wanted the defense on the field first. That’s not the same thing; with Alexander wanting the defense on the field to start the game, the Panthers could have had the ball to start the first and second halves. Fortunately for the Packers, LaFleur told the officials what he wanted in advance.

“I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said. “It’s pretty simple what I said. ‘I want the defense to be out there.’ They like, ‘You mean defer?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.’”

Alexander was a team captain in 2021. In May 2022, he signed a four-year contract extension worth $84 million.

Alexander has played in only six of a possible 15 games this season. He missed three games early in the year with a back injury, then suffered a shoulder injury in his return to the lineup. He returned to the lineup last week after missing the previous six games.

“When a guy’s been in and out, it’s hard to anoint them a captain for a game when you’re not sure if they’re going to be available or not,” LaFleur said.

In 2024, Alexander has a salary-cap charge of $24.36 million, according to OverTheCap.com. Trading him before June 1 would add another $3.09 million to the ledger.

“Ja’s going to be here a long time,” LaFleur said. “He’s a hell of player, and just looking to move past this and learn from it and we’ll all move forward and be better for it.”

While Alexander won’t be on the field, defensive coordinator Joe Barry will be calling the shots after his defense was crushed the last three weeks by the Giants’ Tommy DeVito, the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield and the Panthers’ Bryce Young.

DeVito was named NFC Player of the Week for his performance in that game but has been benched, Mayfield won NFC Player of the Week following two dismal games and Young had the lowest passer rating in the NFL until shredding Green Bay’s defense in the second half.

“I would say that there’s adversity in every team and every year and every game, and you better be resilient,” LaFleur said. “We know what we’re getting into, we know what we sign up for and that’s just a part of the deal, and that’s what makes this league so great.

“You’ve got to embrace it and try to learn from every situation and stick together through good times and in bad times, I think much like a family. Nobody’s family’s perfect, right? But do you turn your back on your family? Hopefully not, and we will not do that.”

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