Jalen Ramsey has been with the Dolphins for the past two seasons, but his time in Miami may soon be coming to an end. Team and player have mutually agreed to “explore trade options,” Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report.
No deadline is in place for a possible deal to be worked out, per the report, however the draft looms as a logical deadline on that front. Cornerback already represents a position of need for the Dolphins with Ramsey within the fold. Moving on from the seven-time Pro Bowler would create an excellent larger emptiness at that spot, but Rapoport and Pelissero note it might not come as a surprise if a trade were to happen.
The No. 5 pick within the 2016 draft, Ramsey quickly established himself as one among the league’s top cover men during his tenure with the Jaguars. Midway through his fourth season in Jacksonville, he was traded to the Rams and subsequently prolonged on a five-year, $100MM deal. Ramsey remained in Los Angeles through the tip of the 2022 campaign, earning a pair of his three first-team All-Pro nods along the best way. He was then traded again, nonetheless, this time to the Dolphins.
Upon arrival in Miami, Ramsey agreed to a restructure but he later worked out one other lucrative accord. This past September, the Florida State product signed a three-year extension averaging $24.1MM. That figure moved him back to the highest of the pecking order when it comes to annual compensation for corners on the time, although the market has since continued to maneuver upward. Ramsey is on the books for 4 more years, although he is just due a guaranteed base salary for 2025.
The 30-year-old already collected a $4MM roster bonus last month, but the rest of his compensation – including $21.1MM fully locked in – would develop into the responsibility of his latest team within the event of a trade. Miami could be hit with a $25.21MM dead money charge if a deal were to be worked out before June 1, making a pre-draft deal financially difficult. If a swap were to occur after June 1, against this, the Dolphins would see $9.92MM in cap savings while generating only a $6.75MM dead money hit.
Ramsey is about to hold a cap charge of $16.66MM in 2025, but that figure is scheduled to spike in the approaching years. One other restructure of his pact on the a part of an acquiring team would thus come as no surprise, although the variety of suitors will likely be limited based on funds. As teams prepare so as to add their draft classes to their offseason rosters and make late-stage free agent moves, few have enough idle cap space to comfortably absorb Ramsey’s deal; it’s going to be interesting to see how much of a market exists on the trade front.
After being limited to 10 games by a knee injury in 2023, Ramsey logged a full campaign last season. He notched a pair of interceptions (continuing his streak of recording not less than one yearly within the league), and added 11 pass deflections. Pro Football Reference listed Ramsey with underwhelming numbers in coverage, but PFF evaluation in that department helped him land a top-10 grade for corners. While age and funds will give loads of teams pause, Ramsey (when healthy) will still be counted on to operate as a flexible No. 1 corner if he lands on a fourth profession team.
The Dolphins will once more have Kader Kohou in place to handle slot cornerback duties next season, but their decision to chop Kendall Fuller left them in need of drafting a starting-caliber option on the perimeter. That situation will likely be duplicated if Ramsey winds up being dealt, a scenario price looking ahead to over the approaching days.
