Should the Rams have gotten more for Jalen Ramsey when they traded him in 2023?
With the Pittsburgh Steelers acquiring cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins, the door has officially been closed on a reunion with the Los Angeles Rams. While the Rams may have been involved in trade talks for Ramsey, the message all offseason has remained clear. This is a team that is content with their current group at cornerback. Whether or not that feeling is the correct one will be determined once the season begins.
At this point in the offseason, Ramsey seemed like an affordable option. The Rams had $20-million in cap space which would have been more than enough to take on Ramsey’s contract. Additionally, Ramsey has wanted out of Miami, meaning the Dolphins also didn’t have a lot of leverage in trade discussions.
It wasn’t certain what Ramsey’s value was in the event of a trade. Some thought it may only take a day three picks, while other speculated third-round value. In the end, the Dolphins received a future draft pick and Pro Bowl caliber player in return.
- PIT Receives: CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, 2027 7th-round pick
- MIA Receives: S Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2027 5th-round pick
The situation is very similar to when the Rams moved on from Ramsey in 2023. By moving on from Ramsey, the Dolphins are able to dump his contract that has an $18 million cap-hit in 2026 that eventually goes up to $31 million in 2028. Ramsey also got a $1.5 million raise which brings his 2025 compensation up to $26.6 million.
What the Dolphins received for Ramsey is extremely relevant considering what the Rams received for the cornerback two years previously. When the Rams moved on from Ramsey, they acquired Hunter Long and a third-round pick in return. The Dolphins just received a Pro Bowl caliber safety who also was a first-team All-Pro in 2022. Again, the situations may not be exactly the same, but they are similar. Miami did not have leverage, but still managed to get more than the Rams received when Ramsey was two years younger.
While the Rams were able to acquire Byron Young with the pick that they acquired in the Ramsey deal, it also doesn’t mean that the trade package was enough at the time. Multiple things can be true here. The Rams made the trade work on their end by dumping Ramsey’s salary and acquiring a starting caliber edge player. At the same time, they should have gotten more in trade return when they moved on from Ramsey in 2023.
Rams general manager Les Snead has had a tendency of overpaying for players that he wants while taking much less when trying to offload players. In 2021, the Rams gave up a lot to acquire Matthew Stafford and Von Miller and then didn’t get much of a return when moving on from Ramsey, Robert Woods, and others. The former resulted in acquiring the final pieces to win a Super Bowl while the later moves were player friendly. The Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins were both places in which Woods and Ramsey wanted to be in a trade, meaning the Rams may have taken less to send them there.
With Ramsey officially going to Pittsburgh, the Rams will move forward with a cornerback group that has a lot of question marks. Ever since moving on from Ramsey, the Rams have been unable to find a top-level cornerback or bonafide CB1 to replace him. It makes sense that they wouldn’t be able to match the Steelers’ trade package. However, that only emphasizes that they should have gotten more for Ramsey when they initially dealt him in 2023.