ESPN Insiders take on Ramsey Situation

[danmarino7051]

The worst part is Miami could have kept Hunt or Wilkins with the type of contract they gave to Ramsey.

I understand Ramsey is a talented player at a premium position, but I think the Dolphins need to prioritize keeping players who are team guys and leaders. We are seeing the same issues with Hill.

When your highest paid players are me first, you aren't competing for championships.

They had plenty of cap to retain both anyhow.

They didn’t want to pay those two what their current teams did. I’m glad they didn’t.

 

[Jamesw]

They had plenty of cap to retain both anyhow.

They didn’t want to pay those two what their current teams did. I’m glad they didn’t.

Time to let the young’s guys play. And save some money.

 

[rent this space]

Time to let the young’s guys play. And save some money.

We’ll learn a lot about the DC this year

 

[Danny]

The premise of the article was find a superlative for every teams offseason...also posted the Bills and Pats for refernce. We might have to settle for a 5th or worse at this point. I dont want this to drag into TC, Ramsey will be a distraction, hes very tempermental.

16 AFC teams, 16 offseason awards: Sizing up each front office's past few months with one superlative

The Bengals have an unhappy star. The Patriots have turned over their roster. And the Raiders are in line to take a huge step forward.

www.espn.com

The superlative: Least likely to find a solution for their most pressing problem

The Dolphins are facing an impasse with veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and they have nobody to blame but themselves. When they traded a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams for Ramsey in the spring of 2023, they signed Ramsey to a new deal with two years of guarantees. That money would have run out after the 2024 season, but Miami extended him with a three-year, $72 million contract just before Week 1 last year, essentially adding an additional $25 million in guarantees to his contract for the 2025 campaign.

Well, the Dolphins and Ramsey seem to want another team to be on the hook for those guarantees. In mid-April, long after teams had spent most of their offseason budget for new player additions, the two sides mutually decided they should split up. The deadline for that breakup won't come until Week 1, when Ramsey's $19 million option bonus comes due. Miami already paid him a $4 million bonus in March, so a new team would be on the hook for $21 million in 2025.

General manager Chris Grier hasn't been able to find a taker yet, and that's not surprising. The league has been extremely hesitant to pay 30-year-old defensive backs recently, which is why there wasn't more of a market for Ramsey's services when the Rams dealt him two years ago. He also suffered meniscus injuries in both 2016 and 2023, with each being repaired via trims.

Ramsey helped the Dolphins' defense move toward the top of the league when he returned from that knee issue in 2023, but he wasn't quite as effective in 2024. Receivers had more success isolated one-on-one against him, most notably when Jets wideout Garrett Wilson repeatedly left Ramsey in his wake in a December game. New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver used Ramsey more often as a blitzer, and while he was effective getting pressure on quarterbacks, Miami acquired him to be a shutdown cornerback.

Even if the Dolphins were willing to ship off Ramsey for only a seventh-round pick to save salary, there aren't going to be many teams that have $21 million in their budget to work with at this point of the offseason. There's also another cornerback at the same price point potentially lingering on the market in Jaire Alexander, whose trade rumors haven't yielded anything resembling a deal.

Ramsey is still a good player, but unless he's willing to give up a significant amount of guaranteed money or the Dolphins are willing to eat some of what he's due, it's hard to find a way this ends amicably for all involved. And given that this is the same cornerback who once showed up to training camp in an armored truck as he sought a new deal from the Jaguars, it would be surprising if he didn't make his frustrations public in the coming months.


Buffalo Bills

The superlative: Most likely to stay the course

Three years ago, general manager Brandon Beane responded to a crushing playoff loss to the Chiefs by doing something out of character: going all-in. After years of using free agency to target solid veterans around his young core, he handed Von Miller a six-year, $120 million deal with three seasons almost entirely guaranteed. The hope was that signing the former All-Pro edge rusher would be enough to get the Bills over the hump, but Miller was limited by injuries and an off-field suspension and had only 14 sacks over three seasons. The move did not work out.

With the Bills cutting Miller this offseason after another heartbreaking defeat to Kansas City, all eyes were on what Beane would do next. Would he make another all-in move to land the difference-maker who could swing a close game against the Chiefs?

No. While the Bills spent plenty of money this offseason, it was used to lock up the best players from their 2021 and 2022 draft classes. Cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Terrel Bernard, edge rusher Greg Rousseau and wide receiver Khalil Shakir all signed extensions, with their four contracts adding up to more than $61 million per year on average. Linebacker Matt Milano took a pay cut to return for another season after two injury-hit campaigns. To top it off, Josh Allen signed a new deal for six years and $330 million, with Beane convincing his star quarterback to leave millions of dollars per year on the table as a trade for the security of $250 million in practical guarantees.

Instead, Buffalo has stuck with its strategy of targeting midroster players in free agency. It signed edge rusher Michael Hoecht from the Rams and imported AFC North veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi for about $7 million each. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer joined from the Chargers on a three-year, $29 million pact. The Bills' biggest swing was on another former Charger in oft-injured edge rusher Joey Bosa; unlike with the Miller signing, though, they are on the hook for only one year and $12.6 million.


Should the Bills have taken a bigger swing? Beane probably played this correctly. It's tempting to look at the Eagles and their impressive 2024 free agent class as proof that he should have been more aggressive, but keep in mind that Howie Roseman's most successful signings last year were in the middle of the market. Running back Saquon Barkley's deal ranked 20th in average value, while linebacker Zack Baun's one-year deal was for just $3.5 million. The biggest move Roseman made was a three-year, $51.1 million contract for edge rusher Bryce Huff, a rare Philadelphia move that didn't work out.

After their Miller miss, the Bills look as though they're going to stay in their roster construction lane moving forward.

New England Patriots​

The superlative: Most likely to need name tags at training camp

Last offseason, the Patriots seemed to be hesitant about using free agency to address the holes on their roster. The biggest average annual salary they handed to players who hadn't been part of the organization in the past were the one-year, $4 million deals they gave wideout K.J. Osborn and left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, the latter of whom left the team after he was benched in the opener. While quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez were impressive amid difficult circumstances, New England simply didn't have enough talent in 2024.

Well, no one can accuse the Pats of resting on their laurels this offseason. They could have up to 11 new starters in Week 1, most of whom were veteran free agent additions. General manager Eliot Wolf brought in six players who will each make at least $8 million per year in average salary, including two of the team's four largest average salaries: defensive tackle Milton Williams ($26 million) and wide receiver Stefon Diggs ($21.17 million). Spending on free agents isn't proof of a successful strategy, but New England needed the talent influx.

While there has understandably been a focus on the additions of Diggs and rookies Will Campbell (OT), TreVeyon Henderson (RB) and Kyle Williams (WR) to help out Maye, I'm more intrigued by what the Patriots did on defense. While the offense was borderline unwatchable at times last season, the defensive collapse might have cost coach Jerod Mayo his job. A defense that ranked first in the league in expected points added (EPA) per play during the second half of 2023 (without Gonzalez or edge Matthew Judon in the lineup) fell to 30th. The Patriots couldn't get pressure on quarterbacks and made too many coverage mistakes.

Unlike on offense, the Pats focused their defensive efforts on adding players who could make an immediate difference. In addition to paying a premium to sign Williams, Wolf signed veterans such as cornerback Carlton Davis III, edge rusher Harold Landry III and linebacker Robert Spillane, who will start immediately in the hopes of quickly turning around the defense.


Here's where new coach Mike Vrabel must make a difference. His Tennessee teams had a habit of getting more out of veterans than their prior employers did. While quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the most notable example, that list included defensive linemen Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr., and even cornerback Logan Ryan, one of the rare defenders who left Bill Belichick and the Patriots and improved. If Vrabel can get his veterans to play at a high level and the defense rights itself quickly, the Patriots will have a foundation to build off this season.

​

just another horrible move by grier plain and simple

 

[djphinfan]

I wanted to keep Hunt... was not nearly as high on AVG or Wilkins.
Hunt was the guy who would have given us the most.

I wanted to keep Hunt... was not nearly as high on AVG or Wilkins.
Hunt was the guy who would have given us the most.

I’ll take Van Gink all day

Two pick-sixes on the year, six PBUs, over 75 tackles on the year, over 11 sacks.

Top 5 DPOY voting

And a cheap ass contract to boot.

Really dumb evaluation all the way around

 

[AMakados10]

Ramsey is a competitor. His weakness of Father Time. If he wants to win another championship, he can’t sit out a year post 30 as a CB.

Grier got boned by Howard and now Ramsey because we’re organizationally soft. Don’t give in imo. If we’re going to eat a large portion of his salary anyways, let him sit out with fake injuries all season and be a pariah.

 

[danmarino7051]

I’ll take VannGink all day

Two pick-sixes on the year, six PBUs, over 75 tackles on the year, over 11 sacks.

Top 5 DPOY voting

And a cheap ass contract to boot.

Really dumb evaluation all the way around

Losing AVG was bigger than losing Wilkins and Hunt, IMO. As you mentioned, top level play for bottom tier money. That doesn’t happen often. And we had him!

 

[Jamesw]

Losing AVG was bigger than losing Wilkins and Hunt, IMO. As you mentioned, top level play for bottom tier money. That doesn’t happen often. And we had him!

Agree he was our biggest loss. But we will never know if he wanted to stay or if he and his wife really wanted to go back up north to live.

 

[Soca casual]

Just came here to say f Matt Milano

Best post

 

[djphinfan]

Losing AVG was bigger than losing Wilkins and Hunt, IMO. As you mentioned, top level play for bottom tier money. That doesn’t happen often. And we had him!

About as bad as Letting brandon jones and Deshon Elliot and signing jordan Poyer

Triple banger bad

 

[djphinfan]

Agree he was our biggest loss. But we will never know if he wanted to stay or if he and his wife really wanted to go back up north to live.

“Yeah, if everything works out,” he said. “I love it here. Our family loves it here. It’s been home to us the past five years, and I’d love to be a Miami Dolphin for a long time. But at the end of the day, it’s a business.”

Feb 2024

 

[danmarino7051]

“Yeah, if everything works out,” he said. “I love it here. Our family loves it here. It’s been home to us the past five years, and I’d love to be a Miami Dolphin for a long time. But at the end of the day, it’s a business.”

Feb 2024

“Andrew shared in his habitually hushed voice, "It's special. It means a lot. I've got a big family – six siblings, and I've got a lot of cousins, a lot of relatives that come and show their support and love for me, and then I have friends. One week, I had like 20 friends – 10 friends and their wives – all come."

AVG is talking about how much he loves being close to his home town now.

Then in day one of the legal tampering period he signed a contract with the Vikings after his wife posted on social media that they had purchased a house in Minny weeks before the legal tampering period.

Now, I’m not saying that the Dolphins shouldn’t have started working with him earlier (maybe they did?), but it’s pretty clear that the Vikes illegally tampered with AVG.

 

[Finsup1981]

CBS sports ranked the top 5 most likely Ramsey destinations:

Philadelphia Eagles​

Adding a seven-time Pro Bowler to a locker room coming off a Super Bowl title is a no-brainer for Howie Roseman if the details work out. With former 2024 first-round pick Quinyon Mitchelland 2023 fourth-rounder Kelee Ringo expected to start, Ramsey could take Ringo's spot and bolster a budding unit. The Eagles already made one head-turning move this offseason at the back end after trading away dependable safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. They drafted former Texas star Andrew Mukuba as his intended replacement.

Cincinnati Bengals​

Why wouldn't new defensive coordinator Al Golden want a proven piece like Ramsey? He would welcome the addition with open arms. The Bengals have not signed or drafted a cornerback this offseason despite having one of the NFL'sweakest units against the pass. Joe Burrow has a couple more years on his record-setting extension, so the window remains open for Cincinnati to make noise as a contender in the AFC North.

Baltimore Ravens​

Like Cincinnati's dilemma with improvements needed, the Ravens ranked 31st in the NFL in passing yards allowed and have added several players since falling short in their bid to reach the Super Bowl. After signing Chidobe Awuzie in free agency, Baltimore drafted Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam in the sixth round for more looks at corner. The Ravens also have a bit of history signing veterans in key sports — with varying levels of impact. Odell Beckham Jr. played just one season in 2023, but the addition of Derrick Henry last spring has worked out beautifully after the ballcarrier spent the first eight years of his NFL career in Tennessee.

Arizona Cardinals​

After losing Sean Murphy-Bunting to a season-ending injury, the Cardinals must acquire immediate assistance in the secondary. They drafted rookies Will Johnson and Denzel Burkefrom Michigan and Ohio State, respectively. Ramsey could help those guys develop, along with second-year defensive back Max Melton. Perhaps Arizona could dangle a wide receiver and draft compensation as trade bait to Miami.

Los Angeles Rams​

Like the Cardinals, the Rams need a cornerback and Ramsey checks every box for a franchise that already knowns his talent level and impact. Los Angeles traded for Ramsey in 2019 and two years later, he played an integral role on the 2021 squad that won Super Bowl LVI. The Dolphins acquired him in 2023 from the Rams in a trade that was financially-motivated.

Rams coach Sean McVay said talks are "ongoing" on the trade front.

 

[Finsup1981]

Another Ramsey update, looks like the target date is post 7/1

Dolphins have 18 million reasons they haven’t traded Jalen Ramsey yet​

It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when the Miami Dolphins will move on from Jalen Ramsey.

Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins | Megan Briggs/GettyImages
The dollars and cents have to make sense first. Over the last few months, it has become abundantly clear that the Miami Dolphins and star defensive back Jalen Ramsey want to go their separate ways. Ramsey wants to play for a winner, while Miami wishes he was not as much of a financial obligation. It is why when the timing is right both parties will go their separate ways and Ramsey will be traded.
As far as who he could go to, that is a conversation for another day. As far as when he might be dealt, that is a different story. Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network provided a great deal of context regarding Ramsey's potential timeline to be dealt. The big key is that the Dolphins are going to want to wait until July 1. If they wait until then, they would be saving themselves $18 million in cap space.
Raiders Beat did a great job of identifying all the key parts in Wolfe's reporting for the NFL Network.
“I checked in with a couple of people on the Jalen Ramsey situation this week and I was told nothing is imminent. There have been conversations, draft weekend and throughout May, in regard to Jalen Ramsey. There is interest, but right now there’s nothing there’s nothing imminent."
Again, the July 1 date is the most paramount. This is because the cap hit will drop to under $7 million.
"But one thing I was told was to keep an eye on that July 1st date. The Dolphins would take a cap hit of over $25 million if they traded him before July. That number drops to under $7 million if they trade him after July 1st.”
Clearly, Ramsey has made up his mind that he wants to play elsewhere and Miami is okay with that.
“A lot of people are looking and saying ‘Jalen Ramsey is one of their best players. He’s been been elite.’ All these things are true, but I talked with their defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, today about the situation and his quote kind of sums up the Dolphins and Ramsey. He said that Ramsey has been a great player for us, but relationships are hard, and [Ramsey] has chosen to move on. This isn’t about a guy who wants more money or a guy who can’t play anymore…”
"Relationships are hard" but timing is everything, which is why Ramsey is going to be gone come July.
“This is just a situation where relationships are hard and the relationship between the Dolphins and Ramsey has essentially run out. I expect him to get trade at some point in June or July. They have talked to a lot teams.”
Here is Cameron Wolfe discussing what is to come regarding the Ramsey situation down in Miami.



The other big thing that needs to be said is Ramsey is not going to fetch high draft compensation.

All signs point to Dolphins trading Jalen Ramsey before training camp​

If we put two and two together, Miami wants the price point to drop on how punitive of a cap hit it will be for the team, but no NFL team is going to give the Dolphins anything better than a day-three pick for him. Ramsey may try to play hardball and demand he could only go to a select few teams. That would shrink his market, but could also drive up the asking price that Miami might get for him instead.

For the sake of simplicity, let's say that after July 1 Ramsey will be dealt by the Dolphins to a contending team for a fourth or fifth-round pick. Miami would eat the $7 million cap hit, but could recoup some compensation in an effort to get him off the team's books. Keep in mind that Ramsey is a bit of a wanderer, as he has never played anywhere for very long during his entire football career.

As far as who could trade for him, I have heard any number of teams be interested in. Initially, I heard teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and my Atlanta Falcons be interested. I have heard rumblings that he could go back to his former team in the Los Angeles Rams. And of course, there might be some interest from a team like the Dallas Cowboys. The market is manifesting, but we need another month.

Unless he goes back to the Rams, expect for Ramsey to wear his fourth different NFL jersey this

 

[rent this space]

Another Ramsey update, looks like the target date is post 7/1

Dolphins have 18 million reasons they haven’t traded Jalen Ramsey yet​

It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when the Miami Dolphins will move on from Jalen Ramsey.

Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins | Megan Briggs/GettyImages
The dollars and cents have to make sense first. Over the last few months, it has become abundantly clear that the Miami Dolphins and star defensive back Jalen Ramsey want to go their separate ways. Ramsey wants to play for a winner, while Miami wishes he was not as much of a financial obligation. It is why when the timing is right both parties will go their separate ways and Ramsey will be traded.
As far as who he could go to, that is a conversation for another day. As far as when he might be dealt, that is a different story. Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network provided a great deal of context regarding Ramsey's potential timeline to be dealt. The big key is that the Dolphins are going to want to wait until July 1. If they wait until then, they would be saving themselves $18 million in cap space.
Raiders Beat did a great job of identifying all the key parts in Wolfe's reporting for the NFL Network.
“I checked in with a couple of people on the Jalen Ramsey situation this week and I was told nothing is imminent. There have been conversations, draft weekend and throughout May, in regard to Jalen Ramsey. There is interest, but right now there’s nothing there’s nothing imminent."
Again, the July 1 date is the most paramount. This is because the cap hit will drop to under $7 million.
"But one thing I was told was to keep an eye on that July 1st date. The Dolphins would take a cap hit of over $25 million if they traded him before July. That number drops to under $7 million if they trade him after July 1st.”
Clearly, Ramsey has made up his mind that he wants to play elsewhere and Miami is okay with that.
“A lot of people are looking and saying ‘Jalen Ramsey is one of their best players. He’s been been elite.’ All these things are true, but I talked with their defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, today about the situation and his quote kind of sums up the Dolphins and Ramsey. He said that Ramsey has been a great player for us, but relationships are hard, and [Ramsey] has chosen to move on. This isn’t about a guy who wants more money or a guy who can’t play anymore…”
"Relationships are hard" but timing is everything, which is why Ramsey is going to be gone come July.
“This is just a situation where relationships are hard and the relationship between the Dolphins and Ramsey has essentially run out. I expect him to get trade at some point in June or July. They have talked to a lot teams.”
Here is Cameron Wolfe discussing what is to come regarding the Ramsey situation down in Miami.



The other big thing that needs to be said is Ramsey is not going to fetch high draft compensation.

All signs point to Dolphins trading Jalen Ramsey before training camp​

If we put two and two together, Miami wants the price point to drop on how punitive of a cap hit it will be for the team, but no NFL team is going to give the Dolphins anything better than a day-three pick for him. Ramsey may try to play hardball and demand he could only go to a select few teams. That would shrink his market, but could also drive up the asking price that Miami might get for him instead.

For the sake of simplicity, let's say that after July 1 Ramsey will be dealt by the Dolphins to a contending team for a fourth or fifth-round pick. Miami would eat the $7 million cap hit, but could recoup some compensation in an effort to get him off the team's books. Keep in mind that Ramsey is a bit of a wanderer, as he has never played anywhere for very long during his entire football career.

As far as who could trade for him, I have heard any number of teams be interested in. Initially, I heard teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and my Atlanta Falcons be interested. I have heard rumblings that he could go back to his former team in the Los Angeles Rams. And of course, there might be some interest from a team like the Dallas Cowboys. The market is manifesting, but we need another month.

Unless he goes back to the Rams, expect for Ramsey to wear his fourth different NFL jersey this

July 1st?