GREEN BAY – Everyone who's been asked about Jaire Alexander this offseason has indicated the Packers' two-time All-Pro cornerback is in a different, much more positive place now compared to last year.
Speaking for himself Wednesday, Alexander confirmed that.
"I feel like I have so much more to put out there and display consistently, and I'm just ready to attack that," he said following an OTA practice on Nitschke Field.
"Man, I'm super motivated … That's why I'm here."
Which represents a shift for Alexander, who skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason program, including OTAs, last year and then followed up his second All-Pro selection (second team) from 2022 with a disappointing 2023.
He missed 10 games in the regular season, nine due to two different injuries (back, shoulder) and another late in the year due to a team-issued suspension triggered by appointing himself a team captain for a game-opening coin toss.
By all accounts, he's put that behind him and mended whatever fences required mending with General Manager Brian Gutekunst and Head Coach Matt LaFleur. That process started during the Packers' playoff run last January, when he had a key interception – his only one of the season – in the NFC Wild Card victory at Dallas, and it has continued to this point in 2024.
"I just had to go out there and ball, show them that I was still me regardless of the adversity," he said of the post-suspension approach.
"Just going into Year 7, at this point, I'm trying not to make it as much about myself and just do what's best for the team."
Though he didn't dig into specifics, the changes on defense with the hiring of new coordinator Jeff Hafley have factored into Alexander's refreshed and repurposed attitude. He loves how Hafley "preaches aggression," and he's also appreciated the fast-developing connection with new defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley.
"He's just been great. He works with me every day on my craft, on my technique," Alexander said. "It's just fun working with him. I think the sky's the limit for our room and for myself, especially having DA around."
He also has hit it off with new veteran safety and fellow leader Xavier McKinney. While Alexander confessed he misses longtime teammate Darnell Savage, now in Jacksonville, he feels "already on the same page" with McKinney.
His old sense of humor also returned for a moment, complimenting McKinney's fashion sense but cracking he's "the second-best dressed in the DB room now." Who ranks first goes without saying.
Joking aside, Alexander sees the leadership in the secondary as a shared responsibility between him and McKinney, and he's willing to let the captain labels fall as they may.
"Ja's been outstanding," LaFleur said Wednesday. "Again, he's been here every day, shows up, great attitude, eager to learn, is out there competing with the guys, talking trash, which I love because I love just amping up that level of competition in a fun way.
"I think he's been a great teammate and been a great leader for us."
In short, Alexander appears to be enjoying life with the Packers again, and seems glad he chose to spend the offseason program in Green Bay with his teammates.
"You see it across the board, we've got a bunch of athletes on the field who like to make plays and can make plays," he said. "I think this is going to work really well.
"It's the culmination of everybody being around and the culmination of the chemistry that we're building now that's going to matter later on in the season. You'll see it."
