The Baltimore Ravens announced earlier today that they had signed former Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, reuniting the 2022 Second-Team All-Pro with his former college teammate, Lamar Jackson. According to sources that spoke to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the one-year deal is worth $4 million but could reach a maximum value of $6 million thanks to incentives.
While speaking to members of the media yesterday, Lamar Jackson said that general manager Eric DeCosta should “go get him.” Jackson also added that he had previously reached out to Alexander.
Got him 😈 pic.twitter.com/2zCWbb344g
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) June 18, 2025
Taken in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Jaire Alexander spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with the Packers before he was released on June 9th. During his tenure in Green Bay, he was elected to two Pro Bowls and was named a Second-Team All-Pro twice (2020 and 2022).
A perfect fit
The Baltimore Ravens needed to add another playmaker to their secondary, even after the 2025 NFL Draft. I loved that they drafted Malaki Starks out of Georgia in the first round, but they still had a pretty glaring need at the cornerback spot, especially if Marlon Humphrey wants to continue being the team’s starting slot cornerback.
Before this signing, the Ravens’ starting cornerbacks were Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie. Those are two respectable starting corners, but they’re not without their faults. Even though Wiggins was taken in the first round of last year’s draft, he hasn’t even turned 22 yet, so it’s safe to say he’s fairly inexperienced. Conversely, Chidobe Awuzie has a ton of experience, but is on his third team in three years and doesn’t appear to be a long-term solution as a starting cornerback.
Of course Lamar Jackson had to be the first one to greet Jaire Alexander… he was the one pushing for the deal!
pic.twitter.com/dXchgmFBdv— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) June 18, 2025
This signing was also probably motivated by Baltimore’s divisional opponents. If the Ravens played in the AFC South, then it would be safe to have Wiggins and Awuzie be your starting cornerbacks. But this is the AFC North, where Baltimore has to take on Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers at least two times each this season. I have a feeling that the Ravens weren’t content with trotting out Wiggins and Awuzie against those quarterbacks. My hunch was proven correct because Baltimore signed Jaire Alexander to a $6 million contract, which is more than four times what they signed Chidobe Awuzie for this off-season.
This is a low-risk, high-reward move by Eric DeCosta and the Ravens’ front office. If Jaire Alexander continues to struggle with injuries, then Baltimore can just let him go in free agency next off-season. But the upside of this deal is excellent. If Alexander can stay healthy, then he can easily emerge as the Ravens’ best cornerback and maybe even return to Pro Bowl form. At the worst, they added an injury-prone cornerback. But if this signing works out, then the Baltimore Ravens just acquired a top-ten cornerback for roughly a third of what his old contract was worth annually.
This is another fantastic signing by the Ravens’ brass, which continues to put the team in a position to compete for a Super Bowl year after year. This is the type of late off-season move that can catapult a good team to greatness.
