The Green Bay Packers could have used Jaire Alexander on the field, as they dropped two straight and fell out of the NFC playoff picture, but he has been too injured to play in games despite practicing.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky clarified that the cornerback has, in fact, been absent since a Nov. 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams because of the shoulder injury he suffered. Despite “rampant speculation,” he has been “sitting out for reasons beyond his injury and that he’s unhappy with the current direction of the defence.”

One source close to Alexander told Demovsky, “All that other stuff has had nothing to do with him not playing.”

Alexander missed three games earlier in the season with a back injury and has missed the last six following the setback to his shoulder. Yet he was not placed on injured reserve, which has left Green Bay shorthanded when it comes to roster construction.

What’s more, he returned to practice on Nov. 16.

Alexander is the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback at $21 million this season, further suggesting his absence isn’t because he is unhappy with his contract.

The Packers have missed his presence. He is a two-time Pro Bowler who is widely considered one of the best players at his position. He finished the 2022 campaign with 56 tackles, 14 passes defended, and five interceptions.

Green Bay is just 6-8 on the season and in 11th place in the NFC standings. It is just one game behind the seventh-seeded Minnesota Vikings for the final playoff spot, but there are several other teams it would have to jump to reach the playoffs.

Still, it faces the 2-12 Carolina Panthers and 5-9 Chicago Bears in two of its final three games with the other one a head-to-head showdown with that Vikings team it needs to catch. There could be a late postseason push in play, especially if its star cornerback is back on the field.