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Jalen Ramsey

Latest On Jalen Ramsey, Jaguars

October 6th, 2019 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

Jalen Ramsey has dominated NFL headlines over the past several weeks, and it seems his standoff with the Jaguars is no closer to a resolution. Jags owner Shad Khan refuses to have a player dictate how he runs his club, and he remains determined to retain Ramsey and rebuff all trade offers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes.

Indeed, one source told Schefter that the Jags wouldn’t trade Ramsey for five first-round draft picks. We heard last week that the Jags rejected an offer of two first-rounders for Ramsey, and Schefter confirms as much. However, Schefter also says the team that made the offer wanted a second-round pick from the Jags to help offset the loss of so much draft capital, but the Jags weren’t interested in those terms.

One of the complicating factors in a potential trade is that, in addition to the premium draft picks that an acquiring team would have to give up, said team would also have to give Ramsey a massive contract extension. But Schefter says Ramsey would be willing to play for another team without having a contract extension in place, so at least an interested club wouldn’t have to negotiate with Ramsey and the Jaguars prior to completing a trade.

On the other hand, even if the Jaguars were interested in trading Ramsey, it’s unclear whether he could pass a physical due to the back injury that is keeping him out of a second straight game. Though plenty are skeptical about the severity of the injury, there appears to be at least some legitimate concern over it.

AFC Notes: Ramsey, Texans, Dolphins, Jets

October 5th, 2019 at 6:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey is going to miss his second straight game with back issues. Many have questioned the timing of his back injury, since it has coincided with his public demands to be traded. But speaking on The Uninterrupted’s “17 Weeks” podcast this week, Ramsey revealed the injury isn’t anything new. “My body was banged up, my back being extremely tight. Having back issues is something I’ve had to deal with over the course of my NFL career. At times I’ve played through extreme pain or not practiced for weeks and tried to go out there and play. It’s something I’ve dealt with,” Ramsey said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.

DiRocco notes that Ramsey appeared on Jacksonville’s injury report with a back issue a couple of times back in 2017. As for his trade request, there isn’t much new on that front. The Jaguars’ ownership is reportedly fighting hard for Ramsey and trying to convince him to stay, but so far the Florida State product hasn’t wavered. Meanwhile, the Jags have apparently turned down an offer of two first-rounders.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Texans signed veteran safety Mike Adams last week, and now we have details on his contract. Adams will receive $787K for the rest of the season, which prorates from $1.03MM if he had been on the roster for all 16 games, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Adams will only count for $553K against the Texans’ cap, and he received a $60K signing bonus. Adams is a longtime veteran who is entering his 16th season, and he’s appeared in 222 games during his lengthy career.
  • The Dolphins are worried that a day-two pick in the 2020 NFL Draft they’d been banking on might get downgraded, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami was projected to receive a third-round compensatory pick for losing tackle Ja’Wuan James to the Broncos in free agency, but that’s now in danger of becoming a fourth-rounder. Jackson cites Nick Korte of Overthecap.com’s analysis, who notes that because James has now missed a handful of games with a knee injury, his contract might be deemed less valuable in the NFL’s complex compensatory pick formula. James signed a massive four-year, $52MM deal this offseason, but he’s been sidelined since Week 1 with a knee injury. He appears to be nearing a return, but if he misses much more time it could have negative implications for his former team. The Dolphins have been stockpiling draft assets as they tank, and they’ve been counting on having four day-two picks next April.
  • The Jets have started off the Adam Gase era 0-3, and they’re massive underdogs against the Eagles this week. Unfortunately they’ll be without Sam Darnold for at least one more game, but they are making a shakeup on their offensive line. Rookie Chuma Edoga is going to replace Brandon Shell in the lineup at right tackle, sources told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York drafted Edoga 92nd overall out of USC back in April. The Jets drafted Shell in the fifth-round back in 2016, and Mehta writes that the team is likely to let him walk in free agency this spring. Their offensive line has been a mess so far this season, so it isn’t surprising they’re making a move.

Jaguars Rule Out Jalen Ramsey

October 4th, 2019 at 12:55pm CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here – the Jaguars have officially ruled out cornerback Jalen Ramsey for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Officially, the Jaguars say that Ramsey will be unable to play due to a back injury. On that front, head coach Doug Marrone says that Ramsey will see a specialist sometime soon. 

[POLL: Is Ramsey Worth Two First-Round Picks?]

Unofficially, it’s believed that Ramsey has been staying away from the Jaguars to reinforce the message that he wants out. The soon-to-be 25-year-old suited up against the Titans, even after reports of his dissatisfaction surfaced, but he away from the team during their Week 4 win over the Broncos.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan reportedly wants to pay the man and keep him in Jacksonville, but, so far, Ramsey has not been swayed. A trade feels inevitable, though the asking price is now set at two first-round picks, and then some.

After the Jaguars face the Panthers, sans Ramsey, they’ll return home to face the Saints on Oct. 13. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether the cornerback will join them for that contest.

Poll: Is Jalen Ramsey Worth Two First-Round Picks?

October 4th, 2019 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

Jalen Ramsey wants out. The Jaguars, meanwhile, don’t necessarily want to let him go. 

The Jags’ star cornerback has been frustrated for some time – he’s been openly campaigning for a top-of-the-market extension, but the Jaguars have been mostly unwilling to have serious talks with him. Then, this season, he had a major blowup with head coach Doug Marrone.

On the field, Ramsey is upset that he has been utilized in zone coverage, even though he ranks as one of the league’s best man-to-man defenders. Off the field, he wants to secure the bag, though he no longer wants that bag to come from the willing hands of owner Shad Khan.

With that in mind, the Jaguars seem to be following the old axiom of “Don’t tell them no. Tell ’em how much it’ll cost.” The asking price was initially set at two first-round picks for Ramsey. Now, it has advanced to two first-round picks, plus more. The Jaguars did secure an offer of two first-round picks, but they declined, because the offer came from a contending club that is likely to pick near the backend of the draft.

Reportedly, it will take an “astronomical” offer for the Jags to part with him, but that could just be an attempt by the Jaguars to improve their leverage. Meanwhile, roughly every other team in the NFL has at least some interest, but they’re scared off by the draft capital required since acquiring Ramsey would also mean giving him a fat contract.

Of course, a first-round pick from, say, the Patriots, does not carry the same value as a first-round pick from, say, the Dolphins. But – we want to know: if you were an NFL GM, would you be willing to cough up two first-round picks for Ramsey, with the knowledge that you would also have to give him an extension north of $75MM?

Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comments.

Latest On Jags’ Jalen Ramsey Asking Price

October 3rd, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

After more than a week of trade buzz, with rumors pointing to another blockbuster deal, the Jaguars are standing firm on Jalen Ramsey. And the asking price is rising.

Shad Khan has now said he is willing to make Ramsey the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback and that the organization has no plans to deal the fourth-year cornerback. While we’ve seen teams buckle on such stances recently, like the Giants before their Odell Beckham Jr. trade, per Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link) it will take an “astronomical” offer to get Ramsey out of Jacksonville.

More specifically, the previously reported Jags price of two first-rounders has moved to “two firsts and then some,” Caplan adds. This comes after a recent report indicated Jacksonville turned down a contending team’s offer of two first-rounders. Ramsey has not practiced since the Jaguars’ Week 3 win over the Titans, which was the same day his interview discussing issues with Jacksonville’s front office surfaced. He has since reiterated his desire to be traded on multiple occasions.

The Chiefs, Chargers and Ravens have been recent teams to express interest, with SI.com’s Albert Breer tabbing Kansas City as one of Ramsey’s preferred destinations. Ramsey is tied to the Jaguars through 2020. The team that said it will not give him an extension this year is, for now, holding the standout corner to that pact and fending off interest from most of the NFL.

It’s possible the Jags believe they can entice a team to pay more for the standout corner, with a few contenders in need of boundary-coverage help. The most notable return any team has received for a corner in recent years was the package of first- and fourth-round picks the Jets obtained from the Buccaneers in the 2013 Darrelle Revis trade. But with a less accomplished player like Laremy Tunsil fetching two 1s, this is a situation worth monitoring.

Jaguars Owner: No Plans To Trade Jalen Ramsey

October 2nd, 2019 at 9:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Jalen Ramsey reiterated his trade demand as recently as last Thursday, Jaguars owner Shad Kahn indicates his club has no plans to deal the star cornerback, as Mark Long of the Associated Press writes.

“Obviously, football is a team sport and I’m sensitive to what individual insight or viewpoint or requests (there) might be,” Khan said. “But we have to do the right thing for the team. We value the values Jalen adds to us, to the Jaguars. I think we value him highly. We’re still looking at what is the right thing for the Jaguars, and I think right now the best thing is to have him be part of the team.”

Jacksonville has reportedly been asking for two first-round picks in Ramsey trade talks. One contending team reportedly met that asking price, but the Jaguars rejected the deal in the belief the selections would fall at the end of the first round. The Chiefs, Ravens, and potentially Chargers are believed to be considering a Ramsey addition.

One of the NFL’s premier shutdown corners, Ramsey has expressed no interest in signing an extension with the Jaguars. Any acquiring team would pick up the remainder of $3.6MM base salary in 2019 plus a $13.703MM cap charge in 2020, but Ramsey is likely seeking a long-term deal that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid corner at a cost north of $15MM annually.

Latest On Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey

October 2nd, 2019 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars star Jalen Ramsey will not practice on Wednesday, per the club’s daily blast. Ramsey is listed as unable to participate with a back injury, though many have been suspicious about his continued absence. 

Ramsey wants out of Jacksonville, and the Jaguars seem poised to trade him, but the club’s asking price seems to be a barrier to a deal. At the outset, they started the bidding at two first-round picks. Recently, a contending team offered two first-round choices, but the Jaguars turned down the deal with the belief that those picks would likely fall at the end of the draft.

Nearly every team in the league seems to be interested in Ramsey, but Peter King of NBC Sports recently speculated that the Chiefs and Ravens rank high on that list. He also believes the Chargers could join the fray.

For any club, Ramsey would mark a massive upgrade for today and become a huge cornerstone for seasons to come. The appeal is obvious – he’s one of the very best corners in the game and won’t turn 25 until later this month. On the flipside, acquiring Ramsey would mean giving the young star a top-of-the-market deal that is commensurate with his ability, so the notion of sacrificing two first-round picks for him is unpalatable to most franchises.

In related news, quarterback Gardner Minshew was added to the injury report with a knee ailment, but that issue is believed to be minor. Right now, it sounds like he’ll be available to face the Panthers this weekend.

Extra Points: Mack, AB, Ramsey, Kessler

October 1st, 2019 at 9:34pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears are set to face off against the Raiders in London this weekend, which means Khalil Mack will have his first chance to play against his former team. The linebacker told reporters today that he actually envisioned playing for the Raiders for his entire career.

“That’s the expectation when you get drafted to a team: You want to be there for the long haul and bring championships and all those good things,” Mack said (via ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson). “It’s the business side of it that doesn’t really let you do that.”

Mack spent the first four seasons of his career with Oakland, but the Raiders put him on the block when the two sides couldn’t agree to a long-term selection. The Bears swooped in and ended up signing four-time Pro Bowler to a deal that included $90MM in guaranteed money. Mack rewarded his new team by compiling 47 tackles and 12.5 sacks in 14 games.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • As the NFL continues to investigate Antonio Brown for alleged sexual assault, the wide receiver still hasn’t met with the league, tweets ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Considering the Pro Bowl receiver is currently a free agent, Fowler notes that it’s “unclear how cooperative he plans or needs to be.” As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, it’s likely that no team would sign Brown until the NFL’s investigation is complete, meaning the wideout could be forced to cooperate if he wants to play again.
  • Peter King of Football Morning in America writes that the Chargers might get into the Jalen Ramsey sweepstakes. The writer believes adding a top defensive player would be a savvy move as the organization prepares for a new stadium in 2020. King adds that he “still think[s]” that the Chiefs and Ravens are also involved in talks with the Jaguars. We heard earlier this week that the Jaguars rejected a trade that would have netted them a pair of late first-rounders.
  • Yesterday, the Eagles acquired linebacker Duke Riley and a sixth-round choice from the Falcons in exchange for safety Johnathan Cyprien and a seventh-round pick. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan tweets that the seventh rounder is actually the Buccaneers’ selection. The Eagles originally acquired the pick in the offseason trade that brought DeSean Jackson back to Philly.
  • Quarterback Cody Kessler signed a minimum contract with the Patriots, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. This means he’ll earn a prorated $720K salary (a bit less than $593K for the rest of the season) with no guaranteed money and a $448K “injury split.” This essentially means the Patriots can evaluate Kessler’s spot on the roster on a week-by-week basis.

Jaguars Rejected Offer Of Two First-Rounders For Jalen Ramsey?

September 29th, 2019 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars have reportedly set the asking price for disgruntled star cornerback Jalen Ramsey at two first-round draft picks (at least), and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that one team was willing to pony up that kind of draft capital. However, it seems the offer came from a legitimate Super Bowl contender, as JLC says the Jaguars believed those picks would come too close to the bottom of the first round to make the deal worthwhile.

The reported Ramsey suitor is unnamed, but Michael Lombardi of The Athletic says the Eagles, whose lack of secondary depth has been on full display this season, will continue trying to pry Ramsey away from the Jaguars.

We heard yesterday that Ramsey may suit up for Jags again, though he recently reiterated his trade demand and still does not look like he will be in Jacksonville for much longer. Indeed, Ramsey has continued to tell those close to him that he has no desire to sign an extension with the Jags, and many rival GMs believe the situation is beyond salvageable. Both the team and Ramsey have drawn scrutiny for how they have handled the matter, and one high-ranking exec from another team said he expects Ramsey to keep creating drama until he gets his way.

Another league source said Jaguars owner Shad Khan would be loathe to “reward” Ramsey by giving in to his trade demand, but at a certain point, Ramsey will become more trouble than he’s worth (if he hasn’t crossed that line already). Luckily for Khan, numerous teams remain interested in the volatile defender.

Ramsey is officially questionable for Jacksonville’s game against the Broncos today due to a back injury, and ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that Ramsey is going to “listen to his body” before deciding whether he’s able to play (Twitter link).

Latest On Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey

September 28th, 2019 at 1:01pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Jalen Ramsey‘s may appear in another game for the Jaguars. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the cornerback is on the team plane to Denver for tomorrow’s contest against the Broncos. Benjamin Allbright of KOA 850 in Denver was the first to report (via Twitter) that Ramsey was rejoining the Jaguars.

Pelissero doesn’t say that the cornerback will definitively play; Ramsey is still questionable with a back injury. Of course, many rolled their eyes when the young star called out sick from practice with a mix of maladies, including back soreness, hamstring issues, and the flu. However, his latest excuse from work was legitimate – Ramsey flew home to welcome his daughter into the world.

Despite the noise, Ramsey suited up to face the Titans last Thursday, and he’s compiled solid numbers (17 tackles, one forced fumble) through his first three games. If the cornerback indeed suits up for tomorrow’s matchup in Denver, it’s only going to benefit the Jags.

Ramsey reiterated his trade demand earlier this week. The Jaguars have been unwilling to engage in serious talks with the cornerback, and owner Shad Khan‘s recent efforts to reignite discussions haven’t moved the needle.

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