When Jaire Alexander came to the Under Armour Performance Center last month, it was truly intended to only be a free agent visit. After being released by the Green Bay Packers, he didn't know where he was going to write his next chapter.
Alexander and Lamar Jackson had long talked about reuniting in the NFL after being college teammates and friends at Louisville. And had it not been for Jackson's recruiting, Alexander admitted he probably would have explored more options.
But when Alexander arrived at the Under Armour Performance Center, the connection extended beyond Jackson. On the same day, Alexander agreed to a one-year deal worth a reported $4 million, reportedly turning down multiple offers of more money.
Now, a couple of days into training camp, the honeymoon is still going. It seems Alexander and the Ravens are a perfect marriage.
"I'm in love. What can I say?" Alexander said Thursday. "The weather is great. The fans are great. The city is great, so I think I'm in a great place.
"Vibes never lie. I am big on energy and energy exchange, so I got good vibes here, and it seemed like they wanted me here, and they cared. So, that played the biggest part in it."
The two-time Pro Bowler's addition to an already loaded secondary received rave reviews when it went down at the end of minicamp. Now that Alexander is finally on the field, the deal looks even better.
In his first full-team practice, Alexander showed a swagger that will fit in well with a Ravens defense. After he leapt to break up a long pass down the sideline, he posed for the cheering crowd and buckled an imaginary seatbelt.
After Jackson tested him with another throw in practice, Alexander teased his buddy for even trying him.
"He tried to throw a back-shoulder on me with 'D-Hop' [DeAndre Hopkins], so I had to give him a little jazz about that," Alexander said. "I said, 'Come on, man. I know it's my first day, but it's still me."
Even when the ball doesn't come his way, Alexander seems to revel in the fact that the quarterback didn't want to test him. When one-on-one drills between receivers/tight ends and defensive backs ended just before Alexander was about to match up against Mark Andrews, the confident cornerback started chirping.
"I wanted one more, just one more rep," Alexander said. "I'm going to bring that energy and that juice, so everything else will fall into place."
Alexander's elite cover skills complement the other parts of Baltimore's cornerback room. With Marlon Humphrey projected to play a good deal inside at nickel, Alexander will be part of an outside trio with Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie. While Alexander has been one of Pro Football Focus' top-graded coverage corners in the league over the years, Awuzie has received high marks for his run defense.
After Alexander's first practice, Head Coach John Harbaugh indicated that Alexander could allow Baltimore to play more single-high safety coverage, which could make the Ravens' defense even more dynamic.
"He had a heck of a play on the sideline there," Harbaugh said. "It is so important [for] both sides of the ball to make plays on the outside throwing lane. … Games are won and lost in that area. It's your ability to play single-high, making plays on either side or attacking single-high. So that's something that's going to be a point of emphasis for us."
Alexander is fitting in off the field, too. He's already part of the "Breakfast Club," a group of seven or eight players led by Humphrey and others who are getting in to work out and lift weights at 6 a.m. Alexander comes with a large boombox, blaring music for his teammates.
While Humphrey finds such loud music so early to be a little "different," the two have become quick friends. Alexander told Humphrey he liked seeing him on film getting into a scuffle with a pair of Steelers offensive linemen last season. Humphrey said what he likes most about Alexander is the "swag" he brings to the game.
"I think confidence is the biggest key you can have at cornerback, and I think you can never have too much confidence," Humphrey said. "So, I think he's a perfect fit for our secondary."
The feeling is mutual.
"Man, I love the secondary. I love the potential that we have," Alexander said. "Marlon is a dog, he's been here. I love watching Marlon play. I love being around him. I thought I was weird, but I don't know, he might [have] me beat."
After spending his first seven seasons as a Packer, Alexander is getting a fresh start to re-establish himself following two injury-plagued seasons. He said he's feeling physically great and that there's "definitely a different culture" in Baltimore.
"We work hard here; we work really hard," he said. "Not to say I didn't work hard before, but the workouts are intense, very intense. It's something I haven't been a part of. The atmosphere, the practice, such a fast tempo. We get after it here."
Alexander tipped his cap to the long-lasting relationships he built in Green Bay and said he has nothing but love for the city. But he wasn't interested in looking back, or even ahead to a late-December trip back to Lambeau Field.
"I think I just want to move forward and focus on how I can excel here and how we can get that Super Bowl," Alexander said. "I circle every week. Everybody's going to get it."
