Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Kwon Gone? Jets' Free-Agent Linebacker Reportedly Visits Steelers
A portion of #JetsTwitter could be in for a massive disappointment.
Veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander has not yet re-signed with the New York Jets and he could be taking his talents elsewhere.
In what could be signaling the end of his Jets' tenure, Alexander reportedly made an official visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"We’re going to keep the doors open to the possibilities of adding good players at every position, linebackers included," said Jets' general manager Joe Douglas when asked about the possibility of re-signing Alexander on April 29.
Twitter user @takeflight_r has launched a campaign aimed at persuading Jets' brass to bring Alexander back to the team for 2023. The Gang Green-loving tweeter has tagged the Jets' official account (@nyjets) and team owner Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) in a daily post requesting Alexander's re-signing for 52 consecutive days.
The Twitter tactic is apparently modeled after the @thatssochrista_ campaign that ended with Braxton Berrios re-signing last offseason.
Alexander inked a one-year free-agent deal with the Jets last July and endeared himself to a portion of the fan base during his lone season in Green & White. The 6-foot-1 linebacker played in all 17 games (12 starts) for the NFL's fourth-ranked defense in 2022.
Alexander, who will turn 29 years old in August, made 69 combined stops for Gang Green last year. He logged six tackles-for-loss, two quarterback hits and one forced fumble.
Coming out of LSU, Alexander spent his first four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who made him the No. 124 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. He totaled 335 tackles over his first 40 career games as the Bucs' starting middle linebacker.
The 2022 campaign marked the first time Alexander made more than 12 appearances in a season since 2016.
Alexander, himself, was active on Twitter Monday. Using his @kwon account, he posted a short tweet containing the "eyes" emoji.
Outside of veteran stalwarts CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams, the Jets lack battle-tested options at linebacker.
"You’re looking at obviously (Jamien) Sherwood, Naz (Hamsah Nasirildeen), I know I’m going to forget someone, but Zaire is here, (Chazz) Surratt is here also," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh when asked about the team's third linebacker. "We got a lot of guys that can compete in that spot."
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