RAMS LIKELY TO TRADE ALL-PRO CB JALEN RAMSEY
The Los Angeles Rams have had trade talks about six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and are “likely” to deal him in the coming weeks, as per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Rams just recently released nine-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner in a move to clear cap space and could be offloading another veteran player on defense. Ramsey is due $17 million in 2023 on a front-loaded deal that averages $20 million and could go a long way in helping the Rams straighten their books.
According to Over The Cap, Los Angeles is currently more than $14 million above the salary cap. Trading Ramsey would open up $5.6 million in cap space and send draft picks to Los Angeles, assets the organization desperately needs.
Ramsey, 28, has been in Los Angeles since 2019 and has earned two of his three First-team All-Pro selections as a Los Angeles Ram (2020 and 2021) and helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI. The 2017 first-round pick didn’t miss a start in 2022 and either set or tied his career-high in multiple categories, despite skepticism about his best playing days being behind him.
Ramsey tied a career-best 4 interceptions, and set new career-highs in passes defensed and total tackles with 18 and 88 respectively. He also added a career-high 3 forced fumbles to what was one of his best individual seasons at the NFL level.
Rumours surrounding a possible Ramsey trade have been circulating in media circles in recent weeks. Asked about how big of a priority it was for the organization to keep Jalen Ramsey two weeks ago, Rams’ executive Kevin Demoff, said little to quiet the noise of a possible parting of ways between Ramsey and the Rams.
“I think anytime you go from Super Bowl champions to a disappointing year, everybody’s always wondering what’s next,” said Demoff. “For us, it’s getting our players healthy. It’s getting back to playing at the caliber we’re at. Jalen [Ramsey] has been a huge piece of what we’ve done and I think for all of our players, it’s going to be about figuring out what’s best moving forward.”
“When you are a team like the Rams who’s had success, [you tend to] have a lot of great players, [and] people are always inquiring about our talent. It’s not just Jalen. We get calls on all of our good players all the time. [In] the next few months, we’ll see what direction this team goes but [we] could not be more grateful for Jalen, for what he’s done for the Rams, [and] leading this defense.”
Potential landing spots for Jalen Ramsey, if he ends up on the trade block, would include the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-ra St. Brown is a huge fan of Ramsey’s and tried to recruit him to make the move to Motor City this week. He posted on Twitter: “Jalen, if you can hear this, I know you played with [Jared] Goff before. Detroit might seem like a landing spot, my guy. Talk to me.”
Ramsey, however, declined to talk about his future, replying, “Lol much love to Jared Goff and Amon-ra St. Brown. [I] tried my hardest to get y’all in them playoffs this year. I won’t comment on my future tho. We shall see.”
After releasing one of the healthiest linebackers in the league this week, and according to PFF, the highest-graded linebacker in 2022, the Rams would be taking a significant gamble in moving on from Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey had a stellar 2022 season and impressively graded third in the league among cornerbacks, sitting only behind Jets DROY Sauce Gardner and Broncos second-year corner Patrick Surtain II.
As per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, the calls received by the LA Rams regarding Ramsey in recent weeks have been ‘serious’ trade calls as the team continues to navigate possible off-season moves. Usually pretty knowledgeable when it comes to how teams are built in general, Ramsey has been cryptic with his posts on social media recently and has alluded to the possibility of leaving Los Angeles for a few weeks.
Tweeting on Thursday, Ramsey said, “It’s gone be what it’s gone be. It’s gone happen how it’s gon happen.”
Just one year after signing a five-year, $50 million deal, Wagner is now gone and Jalen Ramsey could possibly be the next Los Angeles Rams superstar to move on. Although fans would love to contend for a Super Bowl with the team that they had in 2022, the depth at every position is lacking and with the team impoverished by a lack of draft picks, trading away some players might be the smart option for the front office.
With the club looking to turn the page, could soon-to-be 32 years old, All-Pro DT Aaron Donald hit the trade market as well? Admired by all 32 NFL teams, Donald could fetch a bucket load of draft picks if he suddenly became available. If the Rams are seeking draft capital that sets them up for the next five years, what better way to get back those first-rounders other than dealing your most coveted possession?
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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