Just before last year’s trade deadline, the Rams swung a blockbuster deal to land Jalen Ramsey. Now, they have some more negotiating to do as Ramsey enters the final year of his contract. 
[RELATED: Will The Cardinals Trade Reddick?]
Ramsey, 26 in October, is set to earn $13.7MM in 2020, a figure dictated by his fifth-year option. The expected market will dictate his rate on this go ’round, which means that he’s probably due for a raise. Before Ramsey arrived in Los Angeles, he had his sights set on a deal that would reset the market. Despite an iffy year, Ramsey still figures to play in that ballpark.
Between his three games with the Jaguars and nine games with the Rams, Ramsey recorded just 50 tackles and one interception. The former No. 5 overall pick did not play up to his usual standards, but the fact remains that Ramsey is one of the league’s most talented cornerbacks and any team would be happy to back up a Brinks truck for him.
Currently, Darius Slay stands as the league’s highest-paid cornerback on a per-year basis with an average annual salary of $16.7MM. Meanwhile, Byron Jones of the Dolphins leads corners in full guarantees ($46MM) and effective guarantees ($54.4MM). It’s safe to say that Ramsey’s reps will have all of those numbers handy when it comes time to talk.
The Rams, meanwhile, would be willing to toss figures around in that ballpark, though their lack of cap room makes it a bit tricky. It would be tough for the Rams to tamp down Ramsey’s 2020 hit while also giving him $17MM/year to top Slay. Meanwhile, there isn’t a lot of fat left to trim. They could carve out another $3.6MM for Ramsey by releasing Troy Hill, but that would also leave ~$900K in dead money and little room for extra improvements. A restructuring of Aaron Donald‘s deal could give them more dollars to work with – similar to what Jared Goff did recently – but that would also create a snowball effect on future cap years.
Ramsey promised the team that he wouldn’t hold out in 2020 if he didn’t have a new deal in place, though he won’t necessarily cooperate with the Rams if he’s franchise tagged for 2021. Without that safety net in place, the Rams will have to find middle ground with their star cornerback sooner rather than later.
Today’s NFL is geared 100% towards offense.
A team will win more with a top 7 O & top 20 D. Rather than a top 5 D and top 17 O. Spending high end picks and cash for the D just doesn’t bring the W’s. May sell seats and jerseys but that’s about it.
Outside of Qb1, CB1 is the most important position in football these days
The line would be around the corner for Ramseys services if the Rams dont lock him up
Left tackle? Defensive end? The game is won in the trenches. Elite secondaries are useless without a competent pass-rush
Ill roll with Bellichick on this this one- Hes always made it a staple to get good cbs
You have to be able to cover these days, 10 years ago the thinking was LT/DE but today every team strongly desires that ultimate CB1 that can lock down half the field all on his own-
One cornerback can only lock down a single target. A JJ Watt type of talent can harass the quarterback and stop the run all day long. There’s a reason the Raiders still sucked despite having Nnamdi Asomugha for so many seasons
Jalen Ramsey is better than any player the Rams could have drafted with the picks they traded for him. KC took over the super bowl once they started playing defense and the MVP of super bowl 53 should have been Stephon Gilmore. The Ravens high powered offense that lead them to 14-2 was beat by a 9-7 defensive leaning team. Imagine thinking defense doesn’t matter.
they have to keep him if only for the reason that his name fits so well with the team name.
I think they have to pay him because they paid so much to acquire him
When you give up two first round picks, Ramsey is in the driver’s seat for negotiations. Tough luck for a team with cap issues but a Seahawk fan loves it….