Saints Rival Was On Shortlist For CB Jaire Alexander

It sounds like one of the New Orleans Saints' biggest rivals had a shot at landing one of the most interesting free agents of the offseason.

Recently, the Green Bay Packers moved on from All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander. He hit the open market coming off two straight injury-filled seasons, but also seemingly healthy and just 28 years old. Unsurprisingly, chatter picked up quickly about where he would go. Ultimately, he opted to sign with the Baltimore Ravens.

Before he landed his deal with Baltimore, though, he reportedly was considering the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

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

The Saints obviously didn't add the star corner, but him not landing in Atlanta surely can be viewed as a win for New Orleans. Alexander played just 14 games over the last two seasons combined, but he's still a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. Any time you don't have to worry about a player of that caliber in the division is good.

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