NFL: Preseason-Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens
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The Green Bay Packers released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander earlier this month after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on an amended contract or find a trade partner. Alexander is now an unrestricted free agent, and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made a recruiting pitch in an effort to bring his former college teammate in for the 2025 season. Jackson and Alexander played together at Louisville from 2015-17.

Jackson, in his media availability Tuesday, urged Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta to make a move for Alexander, who twice earned second-team All-Pro selections during his stint with the Packers.

"Go get him, Eric," Jackson said. "I love all our corners, don't get me wrong. But go get him, Eric."

The former Louisville stars had a successful run together in college and posted three of the program's best years of its ACC era. Jackson won the Heisman Trophy in that span, the Cardinals never won fewer than eight games, and at one point they climbed as high as No. 3 in the 2016 AP Top 25.

"Yeah, I hit him up," Jackson said. "I hit him up. But you never know with Jaire. That's my boy, man."

Alexander's availability, or lack thereof, over the last two seasons could limit his free agency market. He appeared in just seven games in 2023 and 2024 as he battled injuries and a faced a suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team." Alexander also missed 13 games in 2021 with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.

When on the field, Alexander has been one of the best pass defenders in the NFL. The shoulder injury in 2021 did nothing to derail his momentum as he returned the following year to reestablish himself as a top-flight cornerback. Across his seven years in Green Bay, Alexander racked 287 tackles, 12 interceptions and 70 passes defended.

Prior to his release, Alexander played for the Packers on a massive contract. He inked a four-year, $84 million extension with the franchise in 2022, which at the time made him the NFL's highest-paid corner.

Alexander enters the 2025 season at age 28, placing him in what should be the prime of his career if he stays healthy. His next campaign will be his first outside of the Packers, who selected him with the No. 18 overall pick in 2018.