Getty Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander hanging out at practice.
The New York Jets have added some critical depth and star power to their linebacking corps.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to share on social media that Kwon Alexander has signed a one-year deal to join the green and white.
Former 49ers’ and Saints’ linebacker Kwon Alexander is signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets, per source. Alexander played for Jets HC Robert Saleh in San Francisco.
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Big Time Move
The Jets had worked out Alexander ahead of the 2022 NFL draft. There appeared to be mutual interest but Alexander was holding out for better money or a desperate team getting involved due to injury.
Back in early July, Connor Rogers joined my podcast and predicted that there was a really good chance that Alexander would play for the Jets in 2022. Although he said don’t expect it immediately because Alexander is in no rush to join a team until he has to.
That time of course is the first week of training camp and that is exactly how things played out.
.@ConnorJRogers said ‘I really do think there’s a good chance’ that free agent LB Kwon Alexander (@kwon) plays for the #Jets in 2022 + ‘makes a lot of sense’ for him to take a 1-year deal to rebuild his market here in New York w/ Robert Saleh connection: #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
The 27-year-old (he will turn 28 prior to the start of the 2022 season) was at one point in time the highest-paid linebacker in football. Back in 2019, he signed a four-year deal worth over $54 million to join the San Francisco 49ers.
That crown lasted all of a couple of days because the Jets would then reset the linebacker market by signing CJ Mosley to an even bigger contract.
Now those two will be united in arms in the linebacking corps. While Alexander in that same breath will be reunited with his old coach Robert Saleh who he spent two years with from 2019-20.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh weighed in on the teams interest in free agent LB Kwon Alexander (@kwon) + DT Larry Ogunjobi (@Mr_Ogunjobi) 👀: 🎥 Can’t Wait Podcast w/ @Connor_J_Hughes #TakeFlight
Perfect Situation
The other part of the prediction that Rogers nailed was Alexander’s contract length. It only takes him through 2022, but it checks off everything for everyone that is involved.
The Jets needed more linebacker depth for the 2022 season because beyond their top two guys in Mosley and Quincy Williams, they had a lot of unproven players.
Now with Alexander, they have a former Pro Bowler that has proven when healthy he can be a dynamic player.
While on the other side of the coin, a one-year deal allows Alexander to re-establish his market. We said previously he held the crown as the highest-paid linebacker in football, perhaps with a bounce-back campaign in 2022 he can cash in one more time in his NFL career.
What better bet than going to a place you’re comfortable with? While Alexander has never played in New York, he is intimately familiar with the 49ers system. The Jets are basically San Francisco (east) with Saleh and this coaching staff.
That should accelerate the learning process. When a free agent normally comes in that player needs a long acclimation period to get familiar with the system and philosophies.
In this particular case, none of that will be necessary. The only changes will be small verbiage differences between the 49ers and the Jets.
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Jets Sign Former $54 Million 27-Year-Old Pro Bowler: Report