Jaire Alexander reportedly paid back Eagles $889K after never playing for a Philly team that traded for him
It turns out that the Philadelphia Eagles got something out of last year's midseason trade for cornerback Jaire Alexander, after all.
Alexander stepped away from football this past November, less than two weeks following a low-risk trade the Eagles made to bring the former All-Pro cornerback to Philadelphia, but he has since paid back $889,000 to the Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who also reported Thursday that the team received a salary cap credit as well.
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To acquire Alexander, Philadelphia dealt a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. The Eagles also received a 2027 seventh-round pick and, per ESPN's Thursday report, forfeiture of Alexander's signing bonus.
That's reportedly why, after Alexander was placed on the Reserve/Retired list, he was required to pay back the $889,000 to the Eagles and not the Ravens.
Additionally, the cap credit was awarded to the Eagles, despite the amount not counting against their cap when they completed the trade for Alexander, according to ESPN.
Back in November, Alexander, 28 at the time, reportedly told the Eagles he was pressing pause on his football career to reset physically and mentally before deciding on his future.
Alexander, who was born in Philadelphia, indicated to reporters in the Eagles' locker room after he joined the team that he was healthier than he had been since his offseason knee surgery, but he didn't make the trip to Green Bay for a Week 10 Monday Night Football" game against the Packers, the team that drafted him 18th overall out of Louisville in 2018.
Alexander was added to the roster to compete for snaps at the Eagles' second outside corner position, opposite now-first-team All-Pro Quinyon Mitchell.
Earlier in the season, he appeared in just two games for the Ravens after signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Baltimore in June. Back then, it was reported he could earn up to $2 million more in incentives, but his reunion with college teammate Lamar Jackson didn't go according to plan.
In his pair of appearances, Alexander conceded a combined five receptions for 116 yards, per Pro Football Focus. He scattered 61 defensive snaps across Week 1 and Week 5 defeats, both of which saw the Ravens give up more than 40 points.
Although Alexander was a healthy scratch five times with Baltimore, injuries were his issue at the tail end of his Packers tenure, which notably included All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons in both 2020 and 2022.