Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander suspended 1 game for actions during coin toss at Carolina

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander has been suspended by the team for Sunday night’s must-win showdown against Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings.

The decision stems from, but wasn’t limited to, Alexander appointing himself a captain for the Packers’ 33-30 Christmas Eve win at Carolina.

“It’s never for one thing,” said coach Matt LaFleur, who made the decision with general manager Brian Gutekunst. “I think there’s a lot of lessons along the way from everybody involved and, hopefully, we learn from them. I think we will. I think there will be probably better communication moving forward.”

Alexander was suspended one game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” the club said in a statement.

“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly,” Gutekunst said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step. 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.”

Alexander returned to Green Bay’s lineup at Carolina after missing six games with a shoulder injury. LaFleur didn’t name him one of his three weekly captains. Because the game was being played in his hometown of Charlotte, Alexander felt he should be a captain. So, he made himself one.

“I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte,” Alexander said after the game.

Making matters worse, he almost cost the Packers a possession.

When the Packers won the toss, Alexander said the defense wanted to be on the field first rather than saying he wanted to defer the choice to the second half. Fortunately for the Packers, LaFleur had told the officiating crew led by Alex Kemp what he wanted in advance.

“I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said. “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.’ ”

The suspension means Alexander won’t be on the field for Sunday night’s game at Minnesota. Both teams are 7-8 and need a win to stay in the NFC playoff race.

Jefferson figures to be a focal point of Minnesota’s game plan no matter who starts at quarterback for the Vikings. The Vikings haven’t indicated whether they will start Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens or Joshua Dobbs at quarterback.

Jefferson has the NFL record for most receiving yards by a player through his first four seasons. Jefferson has 102.9 yards receiving per game this season to rank behind only Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill among all NFL players. Jefferson missed the Vikings’ 24-10 victory at Green Bay earlier this season because he was on injured reserve with a hamstring issue.

With Mullens at quarterback for the Vikings’ 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Jefferson caught six passes for 141 yards and one touchdown.

Jefferson has been practically unstoppable in his past two home games against the Packers. He caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-31 victory over the Packers in 2021 and had nine receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-7 triumph in 2022.

Alexander missed the 2021 game with a shoulder injury and wasn’t used to shadow Jefferson in 2022.

Against Carolina, Alexander started alongside Eric Stokes. With Alexander missing a total of nine games because of injuries and Rasul Douglas getting sent to the Buffalo Bills at the trade deadline, rookie Carrington Valentine has started 10 games and veteran Corey Ballentine has started five.

“Next man up,” LaFleur said. “That’s the mentality, no matter what position. It’s a competitive situation and we’re going to put the guys that are in there that we feel are going to give us the best opportunity to win the football game.”

NOTES: The Packers held a walkthrough practice. WR Jayden Reed (toe) and S Darnell Savage (shoulder), who were inactive last week, were limited participation. WRs Christian Watson (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (chest/ankle), LB De’Vondre Campbell (neck) and LG Elgton Jenkins (shoulder) didn’t participate. … The Vikings won 24-10 on Oct. 29. “I think we’ve grown a lot,” QB Jordan Love said. “Just watching our first game that we played the Vikings and seeing plays that are being made, some of the missed (opportunities) we had, I think we’re definitely a different team and a different offense.”