Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander revealed Thursday that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and expects to be out for at least another week, if not more.
Alexander did not participate in practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Although the Packers have not officially listed his status for their Week 12 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, he will not be available to play.
The two-time Pro Bowler originally suffered the injury in a 30-27 Week 8 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Alexander did not play the following week in a 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions. After a bye week, he attempted to play against the Chicago Bears, but was only able to play 10 snaps.
“It was a game-time decision, so we didn’t know… until, you know, a few minutes before the game whether he would play or not,” Alexander said. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
“I just tried to go for it… I went out there and shit, all I could really give was 10 plays and then I felt something,” he continued. “If you know how (posterior cruciate ligaments) work, it’s not just done in three weeks, so I just needed more time. I aggravated it by coming back and only doing 10 snaps, so now we’re just trying to get my knee back on track.” .
When asked if he could return to his All-Pro form this season (he earned such honors in 2020 and 2022), Alexander said he could, but needed more than three weeks of non-contact practice to recover. It’s unclear when he’ll return, but Alexander is confident this won’t be a season-ending injury.
In seven games this season, Alexander has 16 tackles with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans.
Alexander has missed 27 games over the past four seasons due to injury. A shoulder injury cost him 13 games in 2021 and he missed one game in 2022 with a groin injury. Last season he was out for three games due to a back injury.
Carrington Valentine is expected to start in place of Alexander at cornerback.