Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey may looking for both a new team and a new deal heading into 2023.
As the old saying goes, “If you want to dance, you will eventually have to pay the piper.”
On the surface, most NFL teams would clamor for the services of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
After all, the three-time First Team All-Pro is fresh off a season in which he compiled 88 total tackles (four for loss), 18 passes-defended, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
For his efforts, Ramsey was awarded with a selection to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in his career as a replacement for Darius Slay.
Still, the Rams’ Epicurean spending habits of late may prevent the 28-year-old from remaining in Tinseltown for the upcoming 2023 season.
Or, is that really the reason?
The problem likely isn’t the balance of his current contract,” ProFootballTalk shared on Saturday regarding Ramsey. “The problem likely is that he’s angling for a new contract.”
In an effort to both join a contender, while angle for a lucrative contract extension, Ramsey was able to parlay his discontent into being dealt from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Rams in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
While the Rams paid a steep price for Ramsey, they recouped a sound return on investment, earning a victory in Super Bowl LVI.
Ramsey also gained more than his share of the ‘quid-pro-quo’ by signing a five-year extension, $105 million extension with the Rams in 2020. The deal included $71.2 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
Despite having three years remaining on the deal, Ramsey and the Rams may be looking for a way in which the star cornerback is given a new contract (expected to average just north of $20 million annually), while the Rams shed some salary — as ProFootballTalk suggested.
“There was talk before the 2022 season about Ramsey getting a new deal, but he still had four years left at the time,” PFT’s Mike Florio wrote. “Now, with three years left, he likely wants a new deal — and he may be getting a new team in order to make that happen.”
At constituted, Ramsey is due to make $17 million in 2023 ($12.5 million of which is fully guaranteed), $18.5 million in 2024, and $19.5 million in 2025. As such, the remaining balance on his deal will see him average $18.33 million per year, over the balance of the deal.
With reports indicating Ramsey’s trade from the Rams as being “very likely,” any potential suitor will not only be willing to part with significant capital to obtain his services, but also have the salary flexibility to accommodate a new deal.
Recent reports have named the cap space-affluent Las Vegas Raiders ($48.4 million available) and the Detroit Lions ($22.2 million available) as strong potential suitors.
Regardless of the team which acquires Ramsey, it will be getting one of the NFL’s top talents at the position for many years to come.
Still, any such deal will not come without a financial caveat emptor.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL.
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