The Baltimore Ravens have announced the signing for former Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander on Wednesday.
The deal is a 1 year, $4M pact with up to $2M in incentives also available. Alexander spent the first 7 years of his NFL career with the Packers, earning two Pro Bowl and two 2nd Team All-Pro selections along the way. The 28 year old was released by Green Bay 9 days ago.
The addition of Alexander adds depth and versatility to the Ravens secondary, allowing them potentially split out Nate Wiggins and Alexander wide, and moving Marlon Humphrey to slot CB duties. They could then deploy Kyle Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks at safety, forming one of the better secondaries across the NFL.
Alexander was originally a 1st round pick of the Packers back in 2018, but was a former college teammate of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson at Louisville. Jackson had thrown his support behind bringing in the former Cardinal following his release saying “Go get him, Eric [GM Eric DeCosta]…I love all our corners, don’t get me wrong. But go get him, Eric.”
Across 78 career games, Alexander has racked up 287 tackles, 70 passes defended, and 12 interceptions. He’ll add some veteran depth to a CB room that also includes Chidobe Awuzie, Jalyn Armour-Davis, T.J. Tampa, Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam.
Staying on the field however will prove pivotal in determining Alexander’s ultimate success or failure as a Raven however. After missing just 4 games across his first 3 NFL seasons, the Philadelphia native has been sidelined for 34 contests over the last 4 years.
On January 1st this year, Alexander’s camp announced that he had undergone arthroscoping knee surgery in an effort to clean up a lingering issue. As a result, Green Bay was looking to restructure his contract. Something that the veteran DB wasn’t willing to entertain, ultimately leading to his release.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr will now a plethora of options to mix and match on the defensive side of the ball in an effort to slow down opposing offences as Baltimore looks to make a run to the Super Bowl in 2025.
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