Should Vikings pursue newly released Packers corner Jaire Alexander?

If there’s one thing this scary-looking Vikings defense still needs, it’s another quality starting cornerback — a veteran who can raise the floor and ceiling at a position group that’s currently Minnesota’s most glaring non-quarterback question mark. If that player is a star, even better. That’s why we wrote last week that the Vikings should look to trade for Jalen Ramsey.

Well, another option hit the market on Monday morning, and this one might be even more intriguing. The Packers released standout corner and former first-round pick Jaire Alexander after seven seasons, freeing the 28-year-old to sign anywhere and begin a new chapter in his career.

Alexander feels like the exact kind of player the Vikings should go after, even if there’s plenty of risk involved. He was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2020 and 2022. He’s earned PFF coverage grades above 77 in five of the last six seasons. He has 70 career passes defended and 12 interceptions (plus three more if you include playoffs). If he’s healthy, he could be a perfect fit in Brian Flores’ defense, joining Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson as the final piece of what would potentially be an incredible secondary.

Of course, the health aspect has to be brought up. Over the last four seasons, Alexander has played in exactly half of the Packers’ regular season games (34 of 68) due to various injuries (shoulder, back, quad, knee). He also missed a few games as a rookie and in his final season at Louisville in 2017. His difficulty staying on the field has somewhat derailed an otherwise outstanding career. Packers president Mark Murphy said candidly on Monday that the team is used to being without Alexander, whose release frees up $17 million in cap space for Green Bay this year.

But one of the themes of this Vikings offseason has been taking calculated risks on players coming off of injuries. Each of Minnesota’s four biggest free agent additions — Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Will Fries, and Ryan Kelly — missed at least seven games last year. Hargrave and Fries missed at least 12. The Vikings truly feel that their medical and training staff, led by VP of player health and performance Tyler Williams, is an organizational advantage for them. They’d almost certainly have some level of confidence in their ability to help Alexander stay on the field.

It would be quite the storyline if Alexander came over to the other side of the Vikings-Packers rivalry. He’s had some fun battles with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and Adam Thielen over the years, famously hitting the Griddy after a PBU against Jefferson in Week 17 of the 2022 season. (He’s also missed three of the last four meetings between the teams since then, and in the one where he did play, Addison burned him for a touchdown in October 2023). Training camp practices against Jefferson and Addison would be highly entertaining. Alexander would bring a certain edge and feistiness to the Vikings’ cornerback room.

He certainly wouldn’t be the first former Packers star to switch sides. Brett Favre, Darren Sharper, Ryan Longwell, Greg Jennings, Za’Darius Smith, and Aaron Jones have all done it in the last 20 years.

There will be plenty of teams interested in Alexander, so for the Vikings, it’ll depend on the price tag. But this feels like a situation they should very much get involved in. Alexander is over two years younger than Ramsey, and no draft picks would be needed to acquire him. He’d give this Vikings defense a seventh former Pro Bowler and would push guys like Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, and Jeff Okudah one spot down the depth chart into roles that are probably better fits.

The injuries are a concern, no doubt. But the upside is extremely tantalizing. With the Vikings jumping into a possible Super Bowl window, assuming J.J. McCarthy is who they think he is, they should absolutely be interested in signing Jaire Alexander.