Trade Winds Blowing In Stormy Los Angeles As The Rams Look To Move Jalen Ramsey’s Rich Deal In A Trade

Here comes March, which might mean there goes Jalen Ramsey.

Ramsey, an All-Pro cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams, appears to be the latest star on the move. According to several reports the Rams have been actively shopping Ramsey.

About after a week after agreeing to part ways with All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner for salary-cap relief, now the Rams’ attention could turn to ridding themselves of Ramsey’s onerous contract.

With the Rams still some $14.2 million over the salary cap, according to Spotrac, they’ve been evaluating their higher-priced players to become compliant. That has L.A., reluctantly, making calls around the NFL to gauge the interest in a shutdown corner who was recently selected to his six-straight Pro Bowl team.

Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro who arrived in L.A. midway through the 2019 season in a blockbuster trade and then signed a five-year, $100 million deal with a $71.2 million guarantee, is scheduled to earn $17 million next season.

With his compensation comes a $25.2 million cap deduction this year, which is eclipsed on the Rams only by wide receiver Cooper Kupp ( $27.8 million) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald ( $26 million).

If L.A. can peddle Ramsey, they would receive $5.6 million in cap space.

Ramsey, a former first-round pick of the Jaguars, had four interceptions, a career-best 88 tackles and 18 passes defensed, and he forced two fumbles in the Rams’ meltdown of a season.

L.A. is eager to shed his contract, even while knowing it won’t receive anywhere close to what it surrendered when prying Ramsey, who turns 29 next season, from the Jaguars.

The Rams gave up two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection for Ramsey, when he was locked into contentious negotiations with the Jaguars for his second NFL contract.

L.A., after a 5-12 train wreck of a season in the aftermath of their Super Bowl 56 win, is trying to rebuild without stripping down the entire roster. Its in the market for two things at this point: finding cap relief and draft picks to build its squad.

The Rams are expected to have 10 picks, when the compensatory ones are added, in the upcoming draft. A package that includes a second-rounder and some later-round selections would likely entice L.A. to do the deal.

Whatever team possibly obtains Ramsey, with the Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions considered possible landing spots, it will absorb the final three years of his contract at a cost of $55 million.