Steelers Now
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Pittsburgh Steelers were not in the sweepstakes for All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander. Alexander inked a one-year, $6 million with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.
“[The] Falcons he was considering, the Miami Dolphins he was considering,” Fowler said on Saturday on SportsCenter. “But Baltimore had the clear edge throughout that process.”
The Steelers had been connected to Alexander as a potential trade candidate earlier this offseason. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Alexander had better offers but wanted to be in Baltimore. Alexander reunites with his former teammate at Louisville, Lamar Jackson.
The Green Bay Packers released Alexander after apparently being unable to come to terms on a re-worked contract.
Alexander joins a Ravens secondary that features All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey, second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins, veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzier, rookie safety Malaki Starks and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. On paper, the Ravens are loaded in the secondary.
In addition to Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers also have former draft pick Cory Trice and free agent Brandin Echols at outside cornerback, and an addition would’ve created a bit of a logjam.
Alexander, 28, has also struggled to stay healthy as of late, playing in just seven games in each of the past two seasons. However, when healthy, he is still one of the best ballhawks in the league.
Since being selected in the first-round (No. 18 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, Alexander has recorded 287 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 12 interceptions and 70 passes defensed. Since 2021, he has the second-highest grade among cornerbacks in single coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.
Alexander still had two years left on the four-year, $84 million contract extension he signed ahead of the 2022 season and was scheduled to earn a base salary of $16.15 million in 2025. His release will cause a dead cap hit of $7.5 million, but save the Packers $17.1 million in cap space.
Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Report: Steelers Were Not in the Mix for All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander
