Jalen Ramsey assured Rams would get low return by forcing trade to Dolphins

Nothing blows a team’s ability to get a fair trade return for a star player like the other team knowing that they’re the only option on the table. We are witnessing this exact situation play out between the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers, as Aaron Rodgers has publicly said that the Jets are the only team he will play for and that means that trading a four-time MVP won’t return back a first round pick to Green Bay. Well, the Los Angeles Rams were basically backed into the same corner by Jalen Ramsey.

As I wrote on March 12, there was nobody to blame for the Rams only getting a third round pick and Hunter Long for Ramsey other than Jalen Ramsey. Having suspected since September that Ramsey would force either a new contract or a trade in 2023, it is no surprise that the Dolphins immediately guaranteed his 2023 and 2024 base salaries for $30 million.

But according to SI’s Albert Breer on the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast last week, Ramsey was telling other teams besides the Miami Dolphins that they would need to do a lot more than that if he was going to play for them. They would need to pay him a brand new contract.

“He basically said, in essence, if it’s somebody other than Miami ‘I’m asking for a brand new contract’.”

Ramsey already has the third-highest AAV among all cornerbacks at $20 million per season, topped only by a fraction by Jaire Alexander and Denzel Ward. But a new contract would have meant a new signing bonus, a higher base salary, and possibly some voids years—which is how the Eagles could afford to give Darius Slay a new three-year, $42 million contract to avoid cutting him this offseason—and that took most teams out of the running.

Therefore Les Snead was only able to negotiate with one team for Ramsey and since Miami knew that the Rams had to find a way to trade him eventually, that’s why L.A. could only get a third round pick and a backup tight end.

Because of Jalen Ramsey’s contract demands.