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The Green Bay Packers are doing everything possible to win now, all while preparing for the future. Facing alarming salary-cap restraints in the years to come, Green Bay is still determined to keep one of its core pieces in the fold.
For much of the offseason, the Packers focused on contract extension talks with Davante Adams. Unfortunately, negotiations went south and even the return of Aaron Rodgers hasn’t helped bridge a considerable gap between the two sides. As a result, the organization could turn its focus elsewhere.
ESPN’s NFL insider Dan Graziano wrote that the Packers could end up tabling negotiations with Adams and focusing on signing cornerback Jaire Alexander to a long-term deal.
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Alexander, a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has become one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Nearing the end of his rookie contract, Green Bay would be wise to get him signed.
Projecting a Jaire Alexander contract for the Green Bay Packers
Signing Alexander won’t be cheap. The 24-year-old cornerback is poised to hit the open market at the right time, with the NFL salary cap set to explode in the coming years. As all of this unfolds, shutdown corners are landing more lucrative contracts each offseason.
One recent example, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Drafted a year before Alexander, Humphrey earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and then signed a five-year, $97.5 million extension early in the 2020 season.
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Humphrey has been outstanding in coverage and has demonstrated a nose for the football since entering the league. While he’s never recorded more than three interceptions in a season (2019), he punched out eight fumbles in 2020 and held opposing quarterbacks to an 87.0 passer rating when targeted.
Alexander, much like Humphrey, doesn’t record a ton of interceptions. But that’s the result of opposing passers learning not to throw in his direction. Among cornerbacks who played 500-plus snaps in 2020, Alexander surrendered the third-lowest reception rate (50.7), the second-lowest yards per reception (9.6) and the second-lowest passer rating allowed (68.3), per Pro Football Focus.
It’s evident that Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Considering the immense value of that position, the Green Bay Packers will have to sign him to a massive deal. Ultimately, that might come out to a five-year, $98.5 million contract and it would be worth it.
