“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step,” Gutekunst said in the announcement. “As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”
The Packers have chosen team captains on a weekly rotation this year, rather than naming select players before the season. During Sunday’s game at Carolina, Alexander was not one of them.
Still, the sixth-year player joined designated captains Aaron Jones, Eric Wilson and Quay Walker at midfield for the pregame coin toss. Alexander called tails, the Packers won the toss, and Alexander said Green Bay wanted to be on defense — rather than saying it deferred its choice to the second half. While the difference is technical, Alexander’s call could have been taken to mean Green Bay wanted to kick off, which would have allowed Carolina to receive the ball at the start of both halves.
Referee Alex Kemp clarified that Alexander meant the Packers wanted to defer, which Coach Matt LaFleur had told him in a pregame meeting with the officials they would do if they won the coin toss. Alexander’s near-botched call could have cost Green Bay a possession in its three-point win over the Panthers as the team vies for a playoff berth. For now, the Packers are on the outside looking in.
LaFleur said after the game that Alexander’s call was “a big mistake.”
“That’s something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, ‘Hey, we win the toss, we’re going to defer,’ ” he said. “I went to the officials before the game, made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always trying to be proactive in that approach.”
Alexander, 26, grew up in Charlotte. The NFL’s highest-paid cornerback by average annual value, per Spotrac, has 26 tackles, four passes defended and a forced fumble this season, during which he has been limited to six games by injuries. Of his motivation to participate in the coin toss despite not being designated as a captain, Alexander said after the game: “It’s only suiting. I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte, so …”
Jaire Alexander wasn’t announced by the Packers as a game captain, but he went out for the coin toss anyway. And called it. And won it. And almost messed it up.
Sounds like he just did it on his own.
“It’s only suiting. I don’t think coach knew I was from Charlotte.” pic.twitter.com/EVahq6QoOJ
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 24, 2023
Before Sunday’s win, the two-time Pro Bowl pick had missed the previous six games with a shoulder injury. He missed three games this season because of a back issue.
“I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander told reporters after the game. “I’m like, ‘I mean, it’s pretty simple what I said — I want the defense to be out there.’ They like, ‘You mean defer?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.’ ”
When asked whether the coaches added Alexander as a game captain or if Alexander appointed himself, LaFleur told reporters, “Yeah.”
