The Miami Dolphins raised quite a few eyebrows last week when reports surfaced that the team and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey agreed to ‘explore trade options”. General Manager Chris Grier confirmed the rumors at his yearly pre-draft press conference shortly after. He even suggested that it was best for the short-term and long-term success of the Dolphins that the team move on from Ramsey.
“It’s never easy to replace a player like Jalen. He was a good player for us. He’s a good player, he’ll probably be a Hall of Famer, but for the Miami Dolphins going forward, we feel like this is the best chance to help us win not only just this year, but in the future as well.”
Grier mentioned that teams have called, and, in my opinion, even hinted at the potential for a draft-day trade. Sure, he was asked about the potential of a draft day trade happening, but the way it was worded and his eagerness to apparently move on from Ramsey has the hamster wheel in my head zooming!
“I don’t know. Trades come together at all different times. You’ve seen from before the draft, day of the draft, during the draft. I think A.J. Brown was during the draft when it happened. So when it happens, it’ll happen and if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it then.”
Like Grier said, teams have already called Miami, gauging what type of compensation the team may be looking for. Those teams usually remain a secret, unless, of course, the team looking to acquire the player brings it up during their pre-draft press conference. Then it’s fair game! And that’s exactly what happened yesterday, when Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay met with the media.
Here’s the juicy stuff, courtesy of the L.A Rams media team.
Snead: “I’ve had discussions with Miami so we discussed getting through the draft. I know there are a lot of nuances to that situation based on all the things that come with a trade, contracts, and things like that… I’m not sure where they’re at in the process…”
McVay: “He’s a great player. We know him very well. We know him intimately. You would certainly never rule out the possibility of that, but like Les articulated, our focus and concentration are on this week’s upcoming draft. There are a lot of layers that would need to be worked out with a player of his magnitude and some of the different things that accompany that, but you could never eliminate the possibility of adding a total stud and a guy that do a lot of different things.”
Trading Jalen Ramsey before June 1st wouldn’t make much sense for Miami, as the team would be on the hook for $29.2 million, a 12.5M cap loss according to Spotrac. This is something McVay and Snead likely realized when discussing the different hurdles to getting a deal done. Additionally, no team wants to pigeonhole themselves in the draft, so if you’re a team acquiring Ramsey, I’m not sure it makes a ton of sense to push the issue. And for Miami, why not wait and see what teams are willing to offer in June, unless you feel like his value is as high as it will get, or really want to rid the locker room of the player, which at times, seemed to be the case.
We may never find out the real reason why Ramsey wants out, but when you see guys like Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell, and potentially Tyreek Hill on the way out, after coming to Miami to win a Super Bowl ring and change the #culture?! I can’t really say I blame him, or Grier and McDaniel, for taking a chance on a player of Ramsey’s caliber. After all, it only cost a third-round pick and a tight end named Hunter Long.
What are your thoughts on the Jalen Ramsey situation? Do you believe he will get traded on draft night? How do you feel about him potentially returning to Los Angeles? Let us know in the comments section below!
