6 days Ago
Looks like the Miami Dolphins could be losing yet another big-name player this offseason. The team and Jalen Ramsey have agreed to explore a trade involving the seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback, according to NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Ramsey has played the past two seasons for Miami after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 in exchange for tight end Hunter Long and a third-round pick.
Exactly why Ramsey would want out of Miami is not totally clear yet, but it's hard to imagine it has anything to do with money considering the Dolphins have given him a new contract twice since they acquired him, once right after the trade and again last year. Ramsey has four years left on his contract, but his guarantees run out after 2025. His salary for 2025 is $24.
2 million, all guaranteed, though it's mostly bonuses with his base salary only $1.3 million, per Over The Cap. Ramsey's cap number currently stands at $16.
7 million for the Dolphins in 2025, but it would go to $25.2 million if he's traded before June 1 because his signing bonus no longer would be spread out over the next three years. That scenario would allow the Dolphins to get 2025 draft pick compensation.
The cap number would go down to $6.7 million (with the remaining $17.5 million on the books in 2026) if the trade went down after June 1, though it clearly couldn't involve 2025 pick compensation.
If the Dolphins do indeed move Ramsey, it would mark the third time in his career he's been traded — before the Dolphins got him from the Rams, he was traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars after being that team's first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. What could the Dolphins get for Ramsey? That's complicated because there's no questioning his ability, even if he's not quite as elite as he once was, but he's somebody who hasn't stuck around any place for very long and it's entirely possible he's looking at once again redoing his contract. Considering those factors, it would seem a second-pick would be the most realistic scenario.
CORNERBACK CONCERN GETS BIGGER The immediate impact, though, is that Ramsey's departure would make the cornerback position an even bigger issue than it already is, and very well could increase the likelihood of the team's first-round pick being used at that spot, whether it be for Will Johnson or Jahdae Barron. After the Dolphins released veteran Kendall Fuller in mid-February, Ramsey was left as the one sure thing among the outside cornerbacks — recently re-signed Kader Kohou clearly is more effective in the slot. The rest of the cornerback group includes young unproven players exclusively, the list including Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Cam Smith, Roy Cooper Jr.
, Isaiah Johnson, Jason Maitre, along with long-ago first-round pick Artie Burns. The defense already has lost this offseason two of its biggest names when lineman Calais Campbell and safety Jevon Holland left in free agency for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, respectively. On offense, the team saw four-time Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead decide to retire after 12 seasons.
And then there's the uncertainty surrounding wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins now look like they're about to add another big name to their talent drain of the past year and a half..
