Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander almost made a costly mistake in his return from a six-game absence — and it occurred before their game against the Panthers even started.

Alexander, who was born in Charlotte, made himself a game captain by running onto the field with Aaron Jones, Eric Wilson and Quay Walker, according to ESPN, but after winning the toss, he initially said that the Packers wanted their defense on the field.

That, according to multiple reports, is different than deferring and could’ve prevented the Packers from receiving the ball to start either quarter if referee Alex Kemp didn’t clarify, and Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur called Alexander’s near-miscue a “big mistake” postgame.

“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,’” LaFleur told reporters. “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.”