Green Bay Packers sign Jaire Alexander to massive contract extension
The talented defensive back is most definitely a top tier player, but can the Packers get the best out of him next season having now spent big on his extension?
Green Bay is making moves and spending money, the question is will it bring success when the new season arrives?
Packers sign Jaire Alexander to massive extension
While questions about Green Bay’s prospects for the coming season have been raised more and more having lost some high profile names like Davante Adams, the reality is they have also been making some big moves as they attempt to reconstruct a winning formula ahead of the new season. There was of course Quay Walker who was drafted out of Georgia at No. 22 overall, but now the Packers have gone a step further by securing Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander to a four-year, $84 million extension. That means Alexander will be with Green Bay right through until the 2026 season. Having been drafted 18th overall by the Packers in 2018, the 25-year-old Alexander will now be earning an astonishing $21 million annually with his new deal, making him the highest paid defensive back in the league.
The Packers like what they see in Jaire Alexander
Interestingly, Alexander’s new contract also includes a $31 million payout for 2022. The sum comes largely from a $30 million signing bonus - the largest in history for a defensive back. In the final year of his rookie contract, Alexander has become an integral part of the Packers set up. The star cover man now surpasses Denzel Ward as the highest paid corner in the league and with that is now without a doubt the focal point of Green Bay’s secondary.
Though the numbers are big, it’s actually not surprising considering the fact that the Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had alluded to the idea that an extension for Alexander was on the cards before the 2022 NFL Draft last month. “I think we’ll get [through] this draft weekend and we’ll go down that road with some of those players. Gutenkunst said at the time. “...He’s such a big part of what we’re doing; he’s been such a good player for us since the day he kind of arrived,” Gutekunst added when speaking of Alexander earlier this offseason. “We’d love for [an extension] to happen. Certainly we’ve been in communication with his representation and we will continue to be as we go through the year.”
A look at Jaire Alexander
Straight off the Louisville production line, Alexander has without doubt established himself as one of the best players on the Packers’ roster since his arrival. His rookie season of 2019 took him just 11 games before he was secured a full time starting spot. The start cornerback would go onto help the Packers to make the 1st of what would be two consecutive NFC Championship appearances. Indeed, after that break out season, his march to the upper echelons of the league was derailed by a shoulder injury - it required surgery - in 2021 which saw him miss all but four games. With that said, fans got to see 17 pass deflections and two interceptions along the way as he earned his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl call ups in the following year. Across the board Alexander is now one of the most effective cover men in the league
The Packers are building for the future
It should definitely be noted that the Packers are declaring their intentions where the CB position is concerned, which is to say they are intent on making it extremely secure. Having drafted Eric Stokes in the first round of the 2021 NFL Fraft and then recently - in March - securing the signature of Rasul Douglas to a three-year deal worth $21 million, Green Bay has now added Alexander into the mix meaning they will have varying options to choose from come next season. Expect fireworks from the trio when the 2022-23 NFL Regular Season begins.