Show me Ja Money

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Jaire Alexander is a risk worth taking.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

I must admit, it was hard seeing my Green Bay Packers officially release him last week. I remember not knowing much about him out of Louisville — Lamar Jackson kind of overshadowed him — but his skillset quickly became evident, and he grew into one of my favourite players on the team to watch.

When Ja Money is healthy, he’s one of the best cover corners on the planet and can completely erase another team’s top receiver. He has terrific ball skills, is scheme versatile and while he’s not an elite run defender, he’s certainly a tone-setter with his trash-talking.

The only problem is we’ve hardly seen him put all of that to use.

Alexander has only played 34 games since 2021, which has diminished his value considerably.

Though it sucked to watch him go, it certainly didn’t come as a surprise. Yes, the Packers tried to trade him and even tried working on a new deal with him, but both were always probably long shots.

For the record, I don’t think Alexander’s release makes the Packers worse. They played most of last season without him and added Nate Hobbs in free agency. I do think cornerback remains one of the biggest questions on the team, and while Ja would’ve helped with some of that uncertainty, he, too, was a question mark due to his availability.

Here’s the thing: someone is going to get a really good player at a really good price. Ja probably wants significant money (which is why the Packers were never going to reach a new deal with him), but what he’ll most likely get is a one-year deal with an opportunity to earn decent money through incentives.

It will also work in the favour of whatever team signs him. Because he’s only played seven games in each of the last two seasons, a team can mark a games-played incentive as “Not Likely To be Earned,” which means it will not count toward the salary cap.

I expect him to have many interested teams, from contenders and teams who are looking to make a jump.

Keep in mind, Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is still on the trade block. Alexander is probably the more intriguing player — he’s 28 and will cost much less than Ramsey, who is 30 and still has four years left on his deal.

So, today I want to look at which teams I feel are the top suitors to land the new big fish on the market.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags check off a few boxes.

One: they are a team that is looking to jump back into relevancy under first-year head coach Liam Coen, and cornerback is a glaring need.

Two: GM James Gladstone has already shown he’s willing to make a big splash in the name of winning.

Three: Alexander is familiar with new defensive coordinator, Anthony Campanile, who spent last season as the Packers’ LBs coach and run game coordinator.

Yes, the Jags also have Travis Hunter, who will eventually play defence. But right now they want him to grow offensively, and Alexander would buy them time while giving them a solid option opposite Tyson Campbell.

San Francisco 49ers

There is a need here after the Niners’ secondary was decimated in free agency. I also like the fit in Robert Saleh’s defence.

By the way, Saleh spent a good chunk of last season in an advisory role with the Packers, under good friend Matt LaFleur, so Alexander probably has a connection with him.

Miami Dolphins

We just talked about how the Fins are trying to part ways with their top cornerback. This could be a good pick-up for a team that’s desperately trying to remain competitive.

Philadelphia Eagles

Rumoured to be the odds-on favourites to land Alexander, who is a native of Philadelphia.

I don’t think I need to convince you about whether Howie Roseman would be open to this move. Alexander, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean could be the best trio of corners in the league.

Minnesota Vikings

Joining a division rival is always on the table, and the Vikings seem to make the most sense if he’s going to do it.

The Vikes upgraded their front-seven but feel incomplete on the back end. This would be a stellar addition to a defence in the high-flying NFC North.

Washington Commanders

We talk about teams that want to take the next step; this is the team.

The Commanders were terrible on defence a year ago and were shredded through the air. They brought in Marshon Lattimore last season and added Jonathan Jones through free agency, but there’s not much that wows me there.

Alexander would make for a tandem that has one of the highest ceilings but is also perhaps the most fragile in the league.

Los Angeles Rams

They’ve been rumoured to be in the running to trade for Ramsey. Perhaps Alexander makes more sense for this team.

The Rams also fall in the category of “ready to take a step.”

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh