Ravens' Interest in Jaire Alexander Goes Back Months

"Here's how it all went down: Eric DeCosta, the GM of the Ravens, was in on this back in March even, flirting with a trade possibility," Fowler said. "When he became available, they made a quick call. Jaire agreed to visit the team, but didn't make any sort of commitment until he was on site, and he just had great chemistry with everybody there heavily recruiting him. Falcons he was considering, Miami Dolphins he was also considering, but Baltimore had the clear edge throughout that process."

Of course, the Ravens ended up waiting the Packers out and signed him following his release, which was definitely the best move financially. Alexander had cap hits of well over $20 million for the next two seasons, which would've been impractical to take on given the Ravens' cap situation. So instead, they signed him to a one-year deal worth just $4 million, with potential to go up to $6 million.

The Ravens will have to make up for a bit of lost time, but the fact that they got him is worth celebrating on its own.

"Well, [I'm] just really excited about [him being here]," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday. "I had a chance to sit down with him today, which was an awesome time, and he's excited to be here. We're excited to have him. It had been kind of behind the scenes, in the works for a little bit, and I know he wanted to be here, and we wanted him here. So, for it to work out the way it did, it made Lamar [Jackson] happy. I think it made everybody happy. It's just an opportunity to become a better team, in that sense, today, so we're really excited about it."