Jalen Ramsey may still be on the Dolphins’ roster, but judging by how the team discusses the situation, it’s just a matter of time until he’s traded for the third time in his career. At OTAs recently, the Dolphins defensive coaches were discussing Ramsey in the past tense. They also echoed GM Chris Grier who said earlier this offseason that the two sides had “mutually” decided to part ways.
So what’s the holdup? As it often does, it comes back to money. Ramsey is due over $20 million in guarantees for this upcoming season, and cutting that from the books seems to be the primary motivation for Miami in exploring a trade. But it’s not easy to find a team able or willing to take on that sum, even for a player of Ramsey’s reputation. While his resume speaks for itself, he turns 31 in October and age is especially unkind to cornerbacks in the NFL.
The Dolphins also have their reasons for waiting, though if the right offer had come along before the draft they absolutely would have pulled the trigger. If Miami trades Ramsey after June 1, the implications for the salary cap are easier to manage. A trade triggers $25.2 million in dead money regardless (plus whatever the Dolphins eat to facilitate a deal) but if the deal is done next week, only $6.745 million hits Miami’s books in 2025, with the rest shunted off to 2026.
Miami has just $13 million or so in cap space currently, so a pre-June 1 trade would eat up most of that. Trading Ramsey after June 1 creates more cap space. Given any draft picks would come in future years at this point, the Dolphins have plenty of reasons to hold off on trading Ramsey until June.
That answers the when, leaving the only remaining mysteries the who (which team trades for Ramsey) and the what (trade compensation). The what is almost certain to be “not much.” Ramsey’s age and salary are significant anchors to his value, especially if the Dolphins don’t want to eat any more of the bill than they already have. Miami is almost certainly not going to get anything higher than a Day 3 pick, and it’s likely to be closer to a seventh than a fourth unless its stance on the money changes.
Five teams have publicly been linked to Ramsey so far, including the Rams, Falcons, Lions, Commanders and Eagles. Before the draft, we also took a look at eight potential trade proposals for Ramsey. With the draft in the books and June just around the corner, it feels like a good time to revisit the market for Ramsey to see what has changed.
Which teams are probably out?
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were one of the teams we highlighted before the draft, as their cornerback depth chart was in a rough place. Since then, the team added Iowa State’s Darien Porter in the third round, a 6-4 former track athlete with impressive physical skills who needs some polishing up. The team also added former first-rounder Eric Stokes in free agency and has mid-rounders like Jakorian Bennett and Decamerion Richardson competing for roles.
While Ramsey would almost certainly be an upgrade, it feels like the Raiders are content to let the youngsters compete and learn as they go in the first year under HC Pete Carroll. It’s also worth noting Carroll has a long history of unearthing quality defensive back play without premium investments.
Dallas Cowboys
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the secondary for the Cowboys with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland both coming off injury-riddled campaigns. Bland at least seems to be on a good track for the season, Digg’s injury has a far murkier outlook. The Cowboys also drafted CB Shavon Revel, who’s coming off a torn ACL last fall, in the third round.
Still, the cost-conscious Cowboys have already made their moves in the secondary for now, drafting Revel and trading for Kaiir Elam, a former first-round pick of the Bills. They seem ready to ride or die with the young guys instead of spending $20 million on Ramsey.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Landing with the Buccaneers would have allowed Ramsey to stay in Florida where he’s spent a significant chunk of his playing career and allowed the Dolphins to send Ramsey to a non-AFC team. However, Tampa Bay double-dipped at cornerback on Day 2 of the draft, taking Benjamin Morrison in the second and Jacob Parrish in the third. That almost certainly takes them out of the running for Ramsey.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders were one of the teams publicly linked to Ramsey. However, they’ve made significant investments in the position over the past year, trading a Day 2 pick for veteran Marshon Lattimore, using second-rounders each of the past two years on Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos, plus adding veteran Jonathan Jones and re-signing Noah Igbinoghene. If they were interested in Ramsey at one point, it feels likely they’ve since moved on.
Philadelphia Eagles
While the Eagles were another team linked to Ramsey, it should be pointed out that GM Howie Roseman is a serial trader who keeps open lines of communication with every other team regarding a wide variety of players. It’s probable that Roseman called to check the price about Ramsey, just because you don’t know if there’s a good deal to be had unless you ask. Given Philadelphia’s tight financial situation over the next few years and Ramsey’s salary and age, I would be shocked if the Eagles made this trade unless they talked the Dolphins into eating the vast majority of the bill.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a sneaky strong candidate to make a play for Ramsey. Cornerback is one of the biggest remaining needs on the roster, with journeyman Isaac Yiadom and fourth-round rookie Quincy Riley set to compete for the third and final starting spot in the secondary. Saints DC Brandon Staley knows Ramsey well and the veteran corner had one of his best seasons for Staley in 2020.
Had veteran QB Derek Carr been all systems go for 2025, perhaps New Orleans would have made the move. But Carr’s retirement seems to have forced the Saints to embrace a reset year of sorts in 2025. They’re not throwing in the towel but they do seem to be taking more of a long-term approach, and adding a $20 million one-year rental at corner would be antithetical to that.
Seattle Seahawks
The need at cornerback for the Seahawks is clear. After not adding to the position in the draft, Seattle has brought in a handful of veteran cornerbacks for visits like Shaquill Griffin and Rasul Douglas. It’s clear that fourth-year CB Josh Jobe’s spot on top of the depth chart is written in pencil, not pen.
That need makes it hard to completely rule out a trade for Ramsey for the Seahawks, who have swung big blockbuster moves for defensive players in the past. A trade for Ramsey would be a blockbuster in name and salary only and be unlikely to cost a premium pick. Still, their actions so far suggest they only want to spend a certain amount on competition for Jobe, not $20 million.
Detroit Lions
The Lions have to be mentioned as a potential suitor for Ramsey, not only because they reportedly had some interest but because GM Brad Holmes was with the Rams when they made their big trade for Ramsey.
That said, Detroit does not feel anywhere near the top of the list. They’ve had an active past two offseasons at the position, adding Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw, D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson. The Lions may look like they have a lot of cap space, with $42 million in current space coming in second in the NFL, but Over The Cap projects the Lions to be over $50 million in the red for 2026 as things stand today. Detroit will look to roll over as much as possible to next year while still carving out money for what will be a gargantuan contract for DE Aidan Hutchinson. Spending $20 million on Ramsey just doesn’t make sense.
Five most likely Ramsey destinations
With all of that out of the way, here are the five most likely teams Ramsey could end up being traded to with the draft in the books, ordered from least likely to most likely:
Carolina Panthers
Carolina is a sleeper team to watch for Ramsey, even though the roster might be a year away from being ready for this kind of aggressive, win-now acquisition. Panthers DC Ejiro Evero coached safeties in Ramsey’s first year in Los Angeles, then was promoted to secondary coach the following season when the Rams won the Super Bowl. Plenty of people in NFL circles speak highly of Evero as a future head coach, Ramsey included. With some budding talent on both sides of the ball, Ramsey could see Carolina as a team on the rise and an attractive place to play.
The Panthers are in a good spot at outside cornerback with Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson, but the slot corner position is much more up in the air, as is the overall depth in the secondary. Evero would know exactly how to deploy Ramsey as a versatile chess piece to maximize his instincts and knack for making plays. The $20 million is a steep tab to pick up, but if Evero has a clear enough vision for how Ramsey would improve a defense that was last in the NFL last year, maybe Carolina talks itself into a deal.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is another under-the-radar possibility for Ramsey. Cornerback is one of the biggest remaining holes on a roster that seems primed to contend again if first-year starting QB J.J. McCarthy is ready to seize the reins. The Vikings added Isaiah Rodgers and re-signed Byron Murphy, but that third spot is a big hole with no clear answer right now.
Ramsey could step right in and solve that problem. He’s an outstanding fit with DC Brian Flores who asks a lot from his players mentally to execute an exotic and multiple scheme. Ramsey has the brains and versatility to excel as long as he meshes with Flores, and the coach seems to have smoothed some of his rougher edges from when he had his own stint in Miami.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers kept their powder dry for most of this offseason and resisted chasing blockbuster moves with their arsenal of cap space and draft picks. Instead they focused on making incremental improvements and trying to draft well. Looking ahead to 2026, however, the Chargers are currently sitting on over $110 million in cap space, plus $26 million they haven’t spent this year. If there’s any team that can afford to take on the $20 million bill for Ramsey, it’s Los Angeles.
For his part, Ramsey would almost certainly welcome a return to the West Coast and the city he won a Super Bowl with, especially because the Chargers look like they could be in great shape to make a run in 2025. They have a franchise quarterback, superstar head coach and a talented defense with big names like S Derwin James and OLB Khalil Mack. Chargers DC Jesse Minter isn’t a big star yet, but he’s on that trajectory and based on what he did last year, he’s capable of maximizing Ramsey’s versatile skillset. Ramsey would address one of the few holes on the Chargers’ defense at cornerback.
Atlanta Falcons
Reinforcing the defense was priority No. 1 for the Falcons this offseason, but with just a handful of draft picks and limited cap space, cornerback largely went unaddressed. Atlanta traded back into the first round to double dip on pass rushers and the next two picks after that were on safeties. The Falcons brought back Mike Hughes and Dee Alford to try and raise the floor of the room but Ramsey would represent a significant upgrade in the secondary.
Falcons HC Raheem Morris coached Ramsey in Los Angeles and the two men built a bond there, so it’s easy to see Morris being an advocate for bringing in the veteran cornerback. He and the front office are under some pressure to win now after underperforming expectations last season, adding even more motivation to make an aggressive move for a player like Ramsey. The biggest question is whether the Falcons can make the trade logistics work. They already traded away their first-round pick in 2026, and while Ramsey won’t cost nearly as much, they’ll still have to dip into that stash and deplete it further.
The cash will be the bigger lift. From a cap perspective, Ramsey’s contract is structured in a way that makes it easier to process in a trade. As long as a team has about $5 million, they can do a deal. It’s processing the total $20 million that is more challenging, as the Falcons’ roster remains top-heavy and financially maxed out. But moving on from QB Kirk Cousins in 2026 should create some flexibility, and there are still some levers this year that the Falcons could pull, including some restructures or a pay cut for someone like DT David Onyemata.
Los Angeles Rams
Most of the trade buzz around Ramsey has centered around a potential reunion with the Rams. Not only have the Rams been linked to Ramsey in reports, top decision makers like HC Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have spoken openly and positively about the idea of a trade while still raving about Ramsey as a player and person. The Rams didn’t address cornerback in the draft and it’s an area they could use a lift as they crack their Super Bowl window back open. Right now the top three corners would be Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon and Quentin Lake.
Ramsey’s not in his prime like he was when he left the Rams but he’s still a quality player and an upgrade over the Rams’ current options. The biggest hangup would be the money, as Los Angeles is straddling an interesting position with a young group of core players who will be due raises very soon and an older group that’s expensive but still vital to success. It’s a balancing act and adding $20 million for Ramsey might have ramifications down the road. If this deal doesn’t end up happening, it will be because of that, but otherwise it almost feels like it makes too much sense not to…
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