Jaire Alexander receives record contract extension with Green Bay Packers

Green Bay’s star cornerback’s new deal set records for a defensive back with a $30 million signing bonus, averaging $21 million a year over the life of the deal

GREEN BAY — It was never a question of whether Green Bay Packers they were going to extend the cornerback’s contract All Pro, Jair Alexander. It was just a question of when it would happen, and for how much money.

It happened Monday, and included a record signing bonus for a defensive back of $30 million as part of a four-year, $84 million deal, the agent said. Alexander, John Thorntonto Adam Schefter of ESPN. the new agreement of Alexander he averages $21 million a year, a new record for defensive backs, too.

Alexander was previously linked to packers for next season only, thanks to the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. That would have paid him $13.294 million for 2022, and the entire total would have counted against this year’s salary cap. With a prorated signing bonus and a lower base salary of just $1.076 million, packers they will create significant additional cap space. Before this deal, they had about $11 million of cap space. Exactly how much space was created with the agreement Alexander it won’t be known until the full details of the deal are revealed.

The general manager of the PackersBrian Gutekunsthad indicated that an extension to Alexander was close. When asked before last month’s draft if a long-term deal would be signed with the cornerback, Gutekunst responded, “I think we’re going to wrap up this draft weekend, and then we’ll go down that road with some of the players.”

“He’s such a big part of what we’re doing. He’s been such a good player since the day he came in,” he said. Gutekunst from Alexander at the beginning of the off-season. “We would love it to happen. [una extensión]. We have certainly been in communication with their representatives and will continue to be as the year goes on.”

The first-round pick of the packers, No. 18 overall in 2018, quickly became a star. He was named to the All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers of America, was chosen as an alternate to Pro Bowl in 2019 and voted for his first Pro Bowl in 2020, when he was also designated to the second team All-Pro.

Although he played in just four games last regular season because of a shoulder injury, he returned after a three-month absence to play in the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers. He led the packers in pass breakups in each of his first three seasons and had the fourth-most pass breakups in the NFL from 2018 to 2020 with 42, according to data from ESPN Stats & Information. Only James Bradberry (with 45), Stephen Gilmore (43) and Janoris Jenkins (43) accumulated more.

The packers they’ve made a significant commitment to cornerback since last year. They recruited eric stoke in the first round of Draft 2021 of the NFLand in March they renewed their contract with Raul Douglas for three years and 21 million dollars.