Throughout the offseason, there was chatter that the Jacksonville Jaguars could either trade for cornerback Jaire Alexander or sign him when the Green Bay Packers released him. However, any chances of them bringing him in are gone after he joined the Baltimore Ravens. Having said that, the Jags are probably not shedding a tear when you take the two-time Pro Bowler's injury history and price tag into account.
Not long after the news emerged that Alexander chose to join the Ravens, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that he signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with a maximum value of $6 million if he reaches incentives.
At first sight, that doesn't look like a bad deal for a player of Alexander's caliber. Having said that, it's not nearly as good. After all, injuries have forced him to miss 34 games the past four seasons, and there's no guarantee that he'll manage to stay healthy in 2025. On top of that, he would've been a luxury Jacksonville could do without, given how stacked their cornerback room is.
Tyson Campbell is as healthy as he's been in recent years and is in a position to regain his place as a top-10 cornerback. Sophomore Jarrian Jones showed promise last year, and the team's brass added Jourdan Lewis and Travis Hunter in the offseason. When you add the fact that Montaric Brown is having a strong offseason, it's easy to see why the Jaguars would pass on Alexander.
For the sake of the argument, let's say the Jags sign Alexander and he avoids the injury bug. Who do you leave out of the starting lineup? Campbell Hunter, or Lewis? Simply put, there was no room for Alexander in Jacksonville.
Alexander was scheduled to make $17.5 million in 2025, but the Packers wanted him to take a pay cut. He refused, and after failing to find a trade partner, they gave him the boot.
Passing on Jaire Alexander shows the Jaguars trust Montaric Brown and their CB room
Tyson Campbell, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, and Travis Hunter will have featured roles next season, but Montaric Brown is also building a strong case to earn significant snaps on defense.
A seventh-round pick in 2022, Brown turned heads in the offseason, and if his performance carries over into the preseason, the coaching staff will have no choice but to give him lots of snaps. And that's the thing, he's set to make $3.4 million next season, almost as much as Jaire Alexander, but he's been healthier, so you could make the case that he offers more value.
Had the Jaguars brougth in Alexander, it would've been in a backup role, and he surely didn't want that. Ultimately, they didn't have room for him, and he landed in a situation where he'll have a chance to prove he's still the game-changer he was early in his career, so you could make the case that both parties will do just fine.
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