The Ravens signed Jaire Alexander 1 day after Lamar Jackson publicly begged for him

USA Today

14 hours ago

The Ravens signed Jaire Alexander 1 day after Lamar Jackson publicly begged for him
The Green Bay Packers unceremoniously released former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander on June 9th. With his free agent market uncertain after a spate of health issues in recent years, it was unclear who, if anyone, would want to give Alexander a chance at maximizing the second act of his NFL career. A reasonable concern on both counts, to be sure.
Yet, it took the Baltimore Ravens less than 10 days to officially bring Alexander aboard. Why?
Because his former Louisville college teammate, Lamar Jackson, wanted to play with him. And whatever a two-time MVP, future Hall of Fame quarterback smack dab in the middle of his prime football life wants, he gets.
No hesitation. No questions asked. No further discussion necessary.
Just a day prior, Jackson was asked about the prospect of playing with Alexander. He proceeded to offer up a disclaimer about how he appreciates all of Baltimore's cornerbacks before waxing poetic about how much he wanted Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta to ensure Alexander's football uniform this fall would be a lush, bright purple.
It's unclear how much Jackson understood about where negotiations with Alexander were at the time of his endorsement. But it would be pretty naive to assume the Ravens didn't actively try to do right by their organization's talisman while also protecting themselves. After all, they likely wouldn't have given Alexander just a one-year deal worth $6 million (with $2 million locked behind incentives).
That contract structure practically screams adding cheap, accomplished defensive depth that also conveniently makes the face of the franchise happy.
Alexander joins a Ravens team that has been struggling to get over the hump come every January.
Despite 78 total regular-season wins in the Jackson era so far, the Ravens have advanced past the divisional round just once in the last seven years. To say they've remarkably underachieved once the gauntlet of the postseason has rolled around would be an understatement. So, maybe Alexander can help Jackson's Ravens finally climb the NFL summit. Maybe, with his play, he can be a catalyst toward finally pushing these Ravens over the top. But I wouldn't necessarily bet on Alexander playing the biggest role until further notice. Not until we see him stay healthy through a full season, anyway.
At the very least, having a talented old college friend regularly hanging around Jackson might be enough to keep him steady in a positive mindset that benefits everyone around him. I'm sure all of us can relate to that.