Sometimes, the end of a great NFL partnership isn't marked by a dramatic trade or a heated sideline argument—it's signaled by a simple, unanswered request for an iPad. For former Green Bay Packers star cornerback Jaire Alexander, that small, cold gesture was the moment he knew his time in Titletown was truly over.
Alexander, a two-time second-team All-Pro who was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, had a rough ride in 2025. After being released by Green Bay earlier that offseason, he signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens—a modest contract for a player of his caliber. But Alexander was determined to prove he still had elite skills left in the tank, especially after undergoing knee surgery on New Year's Eve.
In a heartfelt piece for The Players' Tribune, Alexander revealed the exact moment he realized the Packers had moved on. It wasn't about contract disputes or locker room drama. It was about a film-study iPad.
"I was coming off knee surgery on New Year's Eve and having to miss the playoff game because of that injury," Alexander wrote. "So I'm in recovery mode, and a few weeks into the new year I call up the Packers like, 'Hey, can you guys send over an iPad so I can start watching film and get a jump on next season?' It's something that happens constantly in our league. Teams load up iPads with tons of film and give them to guys so they can study."
But instead of the usual prompt delivery, Alexander was met with delays and vague promises. "They just kept delaying things with that iPad. I didn't understand. I'd ask about it, and it'd be like: 'Oh yeah, right. The iPad. Yeah, yeah, we'll get that over to you. For sure.' But then nothing would arrive."
Slowly, the message became clear. The Packers never sent that iPad. They later approached Alexander about taking a pay cut, but the two sides couldn't reach an agreement. For a player who had given his all to the franchise—including second-team All-Pro seasons in 2020 and 2022—that unfulfilled request for a simple tool to study the game spoke louder than any official statement.
It's a reminder that in the NFL, even the most talented players can feel the chill of a franchise moving on. For Jaire Alexander, the end of his Packers tenure wasn't a headline—it was a quiet, unanswered question about an iPad that never came.