Jaire Alexander DOES Want to be Here

There seems to be a guide in the NFL for publicly voicing displeasure with your team without even saying or typing a word. Step 1, log on to your social media accounts. Step 2, delete all pictures or mentions of your current team. Step 3, watch the media circus that ensues. Well, that’s exactly what Jaire Alexander did in late December and it ignited all kinds of commotion around the star defensive back.

It wasn’t necessarily the first time though. There had been a lot of talk in the media that Alexander didn’t want to be with the Packers any longer. This particular event was seen as a cry out to display his displeasure following a 34-20 defeat of the Packers at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the day before, and many began questioning his desire to be with the team after the season concluded. Alexander remained with the team but followed this action by attending the coin toss in Carolina despite not being a team captain, an action that many believed had earned him a suspension the following week vs the Minnesota Vikings. 

Interestingly enough, it appears this is where Alexander’s displeasure subsided. Head Coach Matt LaFleur noted that the suspension was never for just one action. He also commented that he thought they had a great conversation and expected things to move forward positively. And number 23 seemed to echo this sentiment when he told the media following his interviews in the future might be a little more serious and that he is grateful to play for the Green Bay Packers. Before his suspension, Alexander had allowed 24 receptions against him on 31 targets for roughly 13 yards per catch. He also had five passes defended. After the suspension, he went 4/8 on passes sent in his direction, only giving up 6.8 yards average with an interception and another pass defended. Granted the latter is a smaller sample size, but it was still notable that Alexander had a bit of renewed energy. 

After the Packers’ 17-9 victory over the Chicago Bears punching their ticket to the post-season, Jaire video-bombed a local reporter on Live TV stating “The Pack is back” before executing his strap celebration and taking off. Does that sound like a guy who is disgruntled and wants out of an organization? You may say that winning changes things, but heading into the 2024 season, it appears it goes much deeper than that. 

Renewed Energy

Last year around this time, Jaire Alexander had passed up earning $700K by skipping the Packers’ offseason workouts. When asked about it a month later, he stated that he knew what worked for him. I guess what worked for him was not showing up. For $700K I would’ve shown up and brought snacks for the whole team every single day. But that’s just me. 

However, this year, it’s been noted that Jaire Alexander was working with strength coaches at team facilities 2-3 weeks before Phase 1 of offseason workouts began. Every day of Phase 2 he’s been breaking down groups and leading them as a veteran of his caliber should. He’s also been spending a lot of time with newly signed safety, Xavier McKinney. Perhaps a high-caliber signing in the defensive backfield re-ignited Alexander’s fire, or maybe a decision elsewhere sparked it. 

I don’t think you could meet a single Green Bay Packers fan who didn’t want defensive coordinator Joe Barry fired toward the end of the 2023 season. Many of the players did a good job of hiding their displeasure, but I feel perhaps Jaire Alexander’s wasn’t quite as subtle. His displeasure before speaking with Matt LaFleur was loud and clear. But afterward, he seemed to pick it up and is continuing on that path heading into 2024. 

Coach LaFleur seemed to stick by his defensive coordinator until the final down of the 2023 season was played. But was this really what the vibe was inside the walls of 1265 Lombardi Ave? My curiosity has perked up at the notion that perhaps Alexander knew something that we didn’t. 

I’ll stand by the fact that Matt LaFleur is a good coach, one of the best we’ve had in Green Bay until I’m blue in the face. However, I think one thing he lacks is the ability to make cold-hearted decisions when it comes to his coaches. It is show-business, not show-friends. I don’t care if Joe Barry was LaFleur’s father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate, he needs to drop the axe when he knows it’s not working out.  (A little Spaceballs reference there for those of you playing at home.) 

Hmm, could Jaire Alexander have known about Joe Barry’s impending doom so he picked it up a little? Seems a little silly, but you have to ask yourself, if you dislike one of your leader’s actions and your top manager says “Don’t worry, their time is short” you might have a little extra pep in your step too right? Jaire could’ve seen a light at the end of the tunnel. Either that or perhaps his conversation just gave him a new respect for LaFleur where he didn’t care who the coordinator was, he wanted to give LaFleur everything he had. We may never know, but we’re glad to see our star defensive back buying into the team from the very beginning.  

No matter the reason for how we got here, we’re all glad to see Jaire Alexander showing that he wants to be a Packer for now and at any point moving forward. With the returning and added talent in the Packers’ secondary, not to mention the new leadership, we all can’t wait to see Strap City take over in 2024.