Jaire Alexander's dad reveals the rift behind the Packers exit

Had the Green Bay Packers offered a contract comparable to what Jaire Alexander received from the Baltimore Ravens, the two-time Pro Bowler/Second-Team All-Pro is still rolling with the Cheeseheads. That’s what Landis Alexander, Jaire’s father, said during a recent appearance on KBN ESPN Milwaukee’s Kyle, Brust, & Nortman show.

It still seems surreal (or unreal). After seven seasons and some back and forth, Jaire was released by the only NFL team he had ever played for up until that point on June 9. He put pen to paper and agreed to a one-year deal in Baltimore that would pay him up to $6 million with incentives. That arrangement came nine days later.

The deal is done. Both sides have parted ways. Still, whenever a name as big as the one belonging to Jaire is tied to stories where contract negotiations seemingly spiral, questions are sometimes answered, and those were exactly the questions asked of Jaire’s father during a 13-minute chat that has since seen a ton of discussion.

Jaire Alexander’s father offers some behind-the-scenes access to his son’s exit from Green Bay and his arrival in Baltimore.

What went wrong? Is it possible cooler heads could have prevailed? What exactly happened?

Landis Alexander was gracious in answering all of the questions. In terms of the train veering off its tracks, it sounds like the culprit is what some might expect.

Jaire’s team understood his injury history would impair negotiations, but they still hoped he’d be offered guaranteed money. Green Bay wasn’t willing to offer any, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Landis believes, based on the contract’s structure, that a ‘sign and trade’ was what The Pack was attempting. He believes his son’s teammates wanted to see him back in the fold. He also believes Green Bay believed they had given Jaire so much and that they were disappointed because he wasn’t playing very often.

“I get that part, but I don’t like that narrative that was put out there (saying) we didn’t want to take a pay cut. That’s just ridiculous because, in business, you have to be available, not half the season. (The signing team wants) you out there. Injuries happen, and he’s not able to do that. We get the fact that you don’t want to pay ($17 million in guarantees), but we definitely don’t want zero.”

Here’s how we make long stories shorter. Often, these conversations come down to money. It was no different in this instance, but there is another twist here. Jaire may have been given some misinformation about his injury.

The Ravens visit the Packers in Week 17. Naturally, the guys asked Landis if Jaire has that game circled on his calendar. The response was classy: “No… We love those guys. We love that team. We love that city”… Fair enough… But, something tells us Jaire absolutely has that game vs. his former team circled. How could he not, right?

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Jaire Alexander’s father reveals what really happened in Green Bay