Former NFL cornerback Jaire Alexander admitted to crying after harsh criticism from a hero during the final stretch of his NFL career before retiring last season
21:03 ET, 13 May 2026
Jaire Alexander warms up before an NFL game
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Jaire Alexander addressed the moments and comments that led to depression and his early NFL retirement
Jaire Alexander spent a bulk of his NFL career enduring significant injuries while trying to cover the elite receivers that flash across TVs every Sunday. But it was one comment from an NFL legend during a television segment that hurt him more than almost anything that happened on the field before retirement.
The retired Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens cornerback opened up about his career and retirement by controlling his own narrative in a personally penned Players’ Tribune essay released on Wednesday morning.
He cited comments from former NFL safety Rodney Harrison after a poor Week 1 showing against the Buffalo Bills last season, which he himself admitted was a 'horrible' showing. Alexander primarily addressed the mental health battles that eventually pushed him out of the league.
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The 41-40 road loss happened just after Alexander joined Baltimore while recovering from a torn PCL. He finished the game with three total tackles while visibly struggling throughout the night.
One of Alexander's low points was when Bills WR Khalil Shakir outplayed him with a 26-yard deep catch from Josh Allen just before halftime. The ex-NFL defensive back also handed the Bills 27 free yards after earning a pass interference call in the third, and gave up the 25-yard reception to Keon Coleman to set up Matt Prater's game-winning 32-yard field goal.
Harrison said Alexander “looked bad," as an NBC analyst for the broadcast, and questioned why Baltimore allowed him back onto the field after missing 10 games due to a torn right PCL that required surgery.
Jaire Alexander dives to attempt to tackle James Cook
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Alexander retired two games after the his Bills performance
Alexander admitted the criticism shattered him emotionally because Harrison had been one of his football idols growing up. “He’d definitely been one of my idols as a young player,” Alexander wrote.
"I get that I played horribly. But for him to basically rip me to shreds on TV after the game….That just really hurt," he continued. “That night, no joke, I went home and cried my eyes out."
He added that the next morning brought even deeper embarrassment as he walked back into the Ravens facility. Alexander described it as “the most embarrassed” he had ever felt, not only in football but in life overall.
Nico Collins is tackled by Jaire Alexander
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Jaire Alexander ended his NFL career as a two-time Pro Bowler
The Bills' game was one of the final appearances in Alexander's NFL career. His last game came weeks later in a lopsided 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans, where he added two tackles before disappearing from the field entirely.
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Alexander retired only 11 days after being traded, citing mental health challenges and his ongoing recovery from a knee injury that had impacted his career.
He was emerging as one of the top cornerbacks in football, with 292 tackles, 12 interceptions, and 70 passes defended, and earned Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2022 across 80 games.