The list of NFL players who could be traded before or somewhere around the upcoming draft has grown by one. According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Miami Dolphins and cornerback Jalen Ramsey have mutually agreed to explore trade options.
Ramsey signed a three-year, $72.3 million contract extenstion with the Dolphins last fall. He has already been paid a $4 million roster bonus, so as Rapoport noted an acquiring team would pick up "only" $21.1 million for this year. After this year Ramsey has no more guaranteed salary left in his contract, which runs through 2028.
The Dolphins would also take on a $25.2 million dead money charge if they trade him before June 1.
Ramsey did not earn a Pro Bowl nod for the first time since his rookie season last year. Overall he had some drop-off by his lofty standards, but he was still better than a lot of his peers (83.2 passer rating allowed, Pro Football Focus' 10th-best cornerback by overall grade).
A lot of teams can make a case for pursuing Ramsey, and in a broad sense (dead money charge aside) the Dolphins should have no trouble moving him.
Analyst conveniently ignores Lions' lack of actual need to add Jalen Ramsey
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports has quickly created a list of three potential landing spots for Ramsey. The Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals were joined by the Lions on his list.
"The Lions are firmly within their Super Bowl window, so looking for experienced players who have climbed that mountain should be appealing to them. That's especially true in the case of Ramsey as the corner should be able to help the secondary after it allowed 244 passing yards per game during the regular season, the third highest in the NFL. Sure, the team signed D.J. Reed in free agency and spent their 2024 first-round pick on Terrion Arnold, but adding Ramsey to bolster the depth should be an endeavor worth exploring, particularly due to them also having the second-highest amount of cap space currently at about $42.3 million."
Despite general manager Brad Holmes saying otherwise every chance he gets, the Lions are firmly in their Super Bowl window. So making moves to strike in that window should be on the radar, but Holmes has also deferred to contract extensions that are coming as a reason there won't be a bold move to add someone this offseason.
Beyond that, it's fair to say edge rusher is a far bigger need for the Lions than cornerback. Sullivan brushed off the addition of D.J. Reed as inconsequential, while noting the amount of cap space the Lions have as if it's something that should automatically compel Holmes to make a trade.
Trading for Ramsey is not something that'll be done to "bolster the depth". It'll be done to upgrade a team's cornerback situation, and directly replace a currently projected starter. Leaving aside the costs attached to acquiring Ramsey, the Lions are not in a position to replace either of the two projected starting outside cornerbacks--including one they signed a month ago.
For reasons that seem obvious, even if Sullivan ignored them, the Lions are not lined up to be a serious suitor for Ramsey. Unless something drastically changes, namely a major injury, a deal to bring him to Detroit is not happening.