The Miami Dolphins badly need a proven cornerback. Two-time Pro Bowl selection Jaire Alexander is now a free agent. Problem solved, right?
Well, as Lee Corso so famously said on those ESPN college football shows, not so fast, my friend.
The instant reflex certainly is logical, but there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to whether the Dolphins should even pursue Alexander now that he’s been released by the Green Bay Packers.
With Jalen Ramsey still seemingly on his way out, Alexander instantly would become the best cornerback on the roster if the Dolphins were to pick him up — and it wouldn’t be close.
But there are three key factors at play here: durability, financial considerations and direction of the team.
This is the big one, really.
When healthy, Alexander is a top-tier NFL cornerback, easily in the top five.
But he just hasn’t been healthy very much, and the circumstances of last season were very problematic.
Let’s start with the fact that Alexander has missed 33 games the past four seasons, and quick math will tell you that 33 of a possible 68 games is almost 50 percent (48.5 percent, to be precise).
Not great.
Alexander missed 10 games each of the past two seasons and missed 13 in 2021, his only fully healthy season in the past four being 2022.
Not sure exactly what this means, but that 2022 season — when Alexander played every game — was the only one where the Packers missed the playoffs since 2019.
Last season was particularly problematic when it comes to Alexander, who didn’t play the final seven games, including the Thanksgiving night matchup against the Dolphins, because of a knee injury that required surgery after the season but wasn’t severe enough to keep him from practicing.
The Dolphins just watched tackle Terron Armstead retire this offseason because of knee issues after three impressive seasons, but three seasons marred by injuries. Armstead came to the Dolphins with an extensive injury history, and he fortunately lived up to his billing as a great left tackle, but also unfortunately continued having injury issues.
Do the Dolphins want to go down that road again of taking a chance on a highly talented but oft-injured player?
Then there’s the minor detail of what it would cost to get Alexander.
Trading for him never was a realistic option because he simply was making too much money on his Green Bay contract, but that’s the Packers’ problem now, and Alexander starts at zero on a new contract.
But reports indicating the Packers offered a restructured deal and Alexander rejected it because it didn’t contain enough guarantees suggest he might not come cheap.
Alexander was scheduled to make $16.1 million in base salary in 2025, though none of that was guaranteed.
So, what would he be willing to accept from a new team? Spotrac projected a one-year deal maxing out at $10 million for 2025. That, quite frankly, might be a conservative projection when you consider 34-year-old Darius Slay will be earning that amount from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025.
Regardless, at some point, the question will become how high the Dolphins are willing to go if they decide to bring in Alexander.
While they contemplate whether to make an offer to Alexander, the Dolphins are dealing with some contract situations with their own players, namely Jonnu Smith and (more than likely) Zach Sieler.
And that’s not to mention what’s going on with Ramsey, a high-end cornerback in his own right who likely will be traded for reasons that have nothing to do with his contract.
Can the Dolphins justify giving Alexander a big contract and not taking care of Sieler and Smith?
More importantly, how would adding Alexander fit into the overall direction of the team?
The Dolphins refrained in the offseason from giving big money to any free agent, the highest annual average going to guard James Daniels at $8 million per year.
The Dolphins also have yet to hand out extensions like they did last summer, indicating a more conservative financial approach than we’ve seen recently.
Does pursuing Alexander really fit into that equation, one that suggests the Dolphins are at least transitioning, if not outright rebuilding?
Yes, Alexander would make the Dolphins better in 2025. There’s zero question about that.
Pursuing him would have been a no-brainer as recently as 2023 when the Dolphins clearly were in “go for it” mode. But it does seem those days are gone, and one would have to question whether they’ll even make a pitch for him.
Because of their lack of proven cornerbacks with Kendall Fuller released earlier in the offseason and Ramsey on his way out, the Dolphins stand out as a logical destination, and it’s why you’ll see them mentioned by national outlets.
But digging deeper into the idea, it’s really not quite the slam dunk it appears.
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