Free-agent linebacker Kwon Alexander, who previously played for Robert Saleh in San Francisco, is visiting the New York Jets today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 19, 2022
Well this is interesting: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New York Jets are hosting former New Orleans Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander on a free agent visit Tuesday. Alexander, 27, has played really well for New Orleans after the team acquired him in a midseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers back in 2020. He’s been an ideal compliment to Demario Davis as an athletic playmaker who can make plays in coverage.
And that 49ers connection helps explain the sudden interest from New York. Alexander played for Jets head coach Robert Saleh in San Francisco when Saleh was defensive coordinator, so they’ve got a shared history and an easy fit for him in the Jets defense.
There are some Jets players who can attest to the impact Alexander brings, too — his former Saints teammates Sheldon Rankins and Justin Hardee Sr. are both signed with New York for the upcoming season. So it’s looking like a friendly situation for him between the coaching staff and the team that would be around him.
It didn’t take long for Alexander to achieve fan-favorite status in New Orleans, so there’s a big push from fans to re-sign him, but he’s still available this late in the offseason for a reason. Part of that could be his injury history; Alexander has played 12, 12, 8, and 6 games in each of the last four seasons. His contract parameters may also have been too big for the Saints to agree to right away, so this is an opportunity for him to test the market and see what’s out there. If the Jets aren’t willing to pay Alexander what he’s worth, maybe he returns to New Orleans.
But if Alexander is signed away the Saints could recoup a 2023 compensatory draft pick — but not for him. If Alexander leaves on a deal averaging more than $2.5 million before the NFL cutoff date (May 2), he would balance out the Saints’ signing of Andy Dalton, which wiped out a projected third-round comp pick they would have received after letting Terron Armstead leave for the Miami Dolphins.
That’s a small consolation, and the Saints may look to get another linebacker to back up Pete Werner in the starting lineup (unless Zack Baun is finally ready), but the second-year pro played well as a rookie and appears ready to get full-time snaps next to Davis. As we can see, it’s an interesting situation, and there are a lot of possibilities that branch off depending on how it turns out. Stay tuned for movement.
