Paul Bretl | 6/18/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Questions around the cornerback position for the Packers have lingered all offseason. Those unknowns have now grown with the team releasing Jaire Alexander. However, internally, GM Brian Gutekunst remains bullish on this unit.
“I feel really good, really good,” Gutekunst said on Day 1 of minicamp. “Obviously the three guys combined have about 95 starts under their belt. I feel really good about that. We’ve got some young guys I’m really interested to see compete for those kind of final roster spots, but no, I’m excited about where that group is.
“The three guys have proven their ability in this league. I like their makeup, their toughness, their ability to play, their versatility. So I’m excited about that group.”
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Contributing to that confidence is the play of Carrington Valentine over the second half of last season and the expectations that the team has for him as he enters his third NFL season.
Navigating injuries and, early on in the season, a crowded cornerback room, Valentine’s playing time was sporadic at times. However, during the second half of the season, he seized control of the starting cornerback role opposite of Keisean Nixon.
Valentine, like the rest of the Packers’ secondary, did well to limit big plays. In four of Green Bay’s final six games, he allowed fewer than 10 yards per reception. Out of 71 eligible cornerbacks from Week 14 through the Wildcard round, Valentine ranked 29th in yards per catch allowed and was 10th in opposing passer rating.
However, what mostly caught everyone’s attention during that span of games was Valentine’s ball production. His two interceptions in that stretch were tied for the most among cornerbacks, and only four cornerbacks generated more total interceptions and pass breakups than Valentine did.
“I just felt like, when you go get the ball out the air, you kind of start taking the ball out the air, stuff like that, and then you start playing at that level and you know that there’s some more,” Valentine said during minicamp. “I felt like it was just scratching the surface. I just feel like going into the offseason, I’m ready to put that all together.”
Last offseason, as Valentine embarked on his second NFL season, one of the challenges that head coach Matt LaFleur issued him was to put on more weight. Valentine accepted and went from playing in the 180s during his rookie year to being nearly 200 pounds in Year 2.
This time around, Valentine’s offseason routine was by and large the same, but included some minor tweaks, such as focusing on distributing some of his weight elsewhere, specifically his legs, where he wanted “more power on the ground.”
Coming off a strong finish to the 2024 season, the next step for Valentine, as he put it, is consistency. That was his “big word” this offseason. While he flashed his big play abilities and, overall, limited yards after the catch, quarterbacks were very efficient when targeting Valentine last season, completing 81.8% of their passes. That down-in and down-out consistency, when paired with his ball production and limiting big plays, can help Valentine get to that next level.
“He’s been extremely coachable, high-character guy,” LaFleur said of Valentine. “Bust his butt every day, has approached it the right way. So I’m excited for him. I think he continues to prove and the more he plays, the better he gets. So I’m excited for him.”
Helping Valentine take that next step will be the continuity of being in Jeff Hafley’s system for a second year. While at this time last offseason, the defensive scheme was being learned and implemented, this offseason the defense has been able to “fine tune” the little things, as Valentine described.
With that experience that was gained last season comes comfort, and not only in knowing the individual responsibilities, but the responsibilities of your teammates, along with how offenses will want to attack you.
During minicamp, Kiesean Nixon and Nate Hobbs manned the outside cornerback positions when the Packers were in their base 4-3 defense. When in nickel, we at times saw Hobbs move inside, which allowed Valentine to then slide in and fill that starting outside role opposite of Nixon.
Versatility is one of the hallmark traits of this Packers’ secondary. That then brings flexibility for Hafley as he puts together his weekly game plans, which can be very tailored to who the opponent is. So with that, Valentine’s playing time from week to week could be quite fluid.
Since arriving in Green Bay as a seventh-round draft pick in 2023, Valentine has always believed in himself and his abilities. The Packers organization has quickly done so as well and with each season, game, and rep that passes, Valentine’s confidence continues to grow.
“Obviously when you make plays and stuff like that, you’re confidence keeps going up in the room,” Valentine said. “You also have sometimes you get humbled a little bit, but you never lose it. It’s just a part of you. It’s always going to be a part of me. I’m never going to change. I’m always going to be myself.”