Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that “zero has changed” in regards to a potential trade of cornerback Jalen Ramsey. That’s essentially the same answer Rams coach Sean McVay gave later in the day when asked about a possible reunion with Ramsey.
“Yeah, we would never close out those opportunities,” McVay said.
Ramsey’s contract becomes less prohibitive to trade after June 1, when a $25.213 million cap charge would drop by $18.468 million. It’s a date about which Ramsey has cryptically tweeted this week.
“You and I both know that’s not a real date,” McVay said when asked about that being the next checkpoint on Ramsey’s future.
The Rams have left the door open for a possible Ramsey return, but it seems unlikely given the compensation the team would have to forgo in draft picks and money.
“There’s not a whole lot that I have to offer,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of layers with something of that magnitude when you’re talking about the caliber of the player; the compensation that they’re looking for in return. What does that look like? . . . Obviously, we love Jalen. We love Jalen intimately. There would be some things that we would need to be able to do if that was going to be a direction that we went. We certainly haven’t closed the door on that, but there hasn’t been any meaningful, tangible dialogue as of late. But that can always change pretty quickly, as you know.”
Ramsey, 30 hasn’t made All-Pro since 2021, but he was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2023 despite playing only 10 games that season. In 2024, he totaled 60 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and 11 passes defensed in 17 games.
While the Dolphins have not yet been able to trade Jalen Ramsey, Miami is still looking to move the cornerback.
Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed as much in his Wednesday press conference when asked about the three-time first-team All-Pro.
“I mean, quite honestly, zero has changed since the last time I said anything about him,” McDaniel said. “Very much interested in the players that I’m coaching on the field today. And I think if you have a team that’s focused on getting better each and every day, that’s plenty for me to worry about. And I guess I’ll leave it at that.”
Ramsey’s contract becomes less prohibitive to trade after June 1, which makes that date the next checkpoint for the player and club. Given that, McDaniel was asked if he’d like to see a resolution by minicamp.
“I’m really worried about the team, the players that will be out on the field today,” McDaniel said. “And that’s about as much breath as I want to speak into it.”
But there was one more question about Ramsey, as a reporter inquired if the head coach was sad that the relationship between the Dolphins and the defensive back went sideways.
“I’m very excited to coach a football team, and that’s not dismissing, but quite honestly, everything is an opportunity cost,” McDaniel said. “So, I think it is quite honestly, irresponsible for me to put down some of the thoughts and focus on the players that we’re working now to build a performance for the season and concern myself with that. That’s where I should be, I think.”
The Rams — with whom Ramsey won Super Bowl LVI — have known interest in potentially bringing Ramsey back. The Falcons, Lions, Commanders, and Eagles have also been reported as teams with potential interest in Ramsey.
In 2024, Ramsey finished with 60 total tackles, 11 passes defended, and two interceptions in 17 games for Miami.
Former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning recently credited the late Jim Irsay as making Indianapolis a football town. Manning’s comment gave us an idea.
On Tuesday’s PFT Live, we did a draft of the best football towns.
It’s a subjective analysis, based on a variety of quantitative and qualitative factors. It’s based on what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard over our years of following pro football.
To those who made the list, congrats. To those who didn’t, we apologize.
For the full list, check out the video. But be advised: One of the teams picked, however, currently doesn’t have an NFL team.
Even if it should. Maybe it will again, one of these days.
Fifteen years ago, the NFL was experiencing one specific financial problem. The Collective Bargaining Agreement allowed the top incoming players to squeeze the teams that drafted them into contracts that were spiraling out of control.
It had gotten so bad that, when the Dolphins prepared to use the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, there were widespread rumors that they’d deliberately let the clock expire and wait to make a pick at a lower spot. (Miami eventually picked tackle Jake Long.)
Enter the expiration of the CBA. One of the things the NFL wanted as of 2011 was a rookie wage scale. And the NFL got the restriction it craved on the value of the deals given to new players.
The argument was simple. The prior system allowed busts to take millions out of the system. Those millions could go instead to established player.
Of course, the rookie wage scale also prevented those big contracts from becoming part of the leverage for veterans to get better deals, by pointing to the average annual salary given to a high draft pick at the same position.
But it was far easier to get the current members of the union to pick the pockets of players who weren’t yet in it. Even if it indirectly impacted them. Making the argument even easier was the inherent zero-sum game of the salary cap. If more money goes to a hotshot who has never worn an NFL helmet, less money is available to everyone else.
It worked. And here’s the latest evidence of it. Fourteen years later, with the salary cap skyrocketing from $120.375 million to $279.2 million per team, the value of the contract given to the No. 1 overall pick still hasn’t caught the value of the No. 1 overall pick from 2010, the last year with no rookie wage scale.
In 2010, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract, with a maximum value of $86 million and $50 million guaranteed.
In 2025, Titans quarterback Cam Ward signed a four-year, fully-guaranteed $48 million contract.
Bradford’s base deal paid $13 million per year. Ward’s pays $12 million annually. Bradford got more in guarantees, although it’s likely that the $50 million wasn’t fully guaranteed. (The reporting on and analysis of contracts in 2010 didn’t delve into such details the way it does now.)
Yes, Ward is committed for only four years, not six. But the Titans have a fifth-year option, so the contract puts him on the market (or gets him franchise tagged) only one year sooner.
Here’s the broader point. It has taken nearly 15 years to get the No. 1 overall pick to the contract the No. 1 overall pick received in 2010. Even though the salary cap has increased since 2011 by 131.9 percent.
Which means that the rookie wage scale was a massive win for the NFL and its owners.
Which also shows that, when a sports league (or cabal or cartel) finds itself in an undesirable financial predicament, it should be expected to figure out the situation on its own — without pissing and moaning for Congressional intervention.
Rams General Manager Les Snead said in March that the team would like to “engineer a long-term partnership” with running back Kyren Williams, but made no promises that it would come before the start of Williams’s fourth NFL season.
While there have been talks about such a deal since Snead’s comments, nothing has come together with the team set to start the OTA portion of their offseason program. That’s not something that Williams appears to be sweating, however.
Williams said this week that he is “feeling good” about where things stand with the Rams and he remains confident that his run with the team will go on beyond the 2025 season.
“I know with time it’s going to happen. . . . I would love for it to get done so I can take care of my family and the loved ones that helped me get here,” Williams said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve always got trust in God. Whether it happens now or I play out the season, I know it’s going to happen eventually. And so, time will tell. I just know I’ve got to do what I need to do each and every single day to make sure that it does happen in my favor.”
The Rams have drafted running backs the last two years and it’s not a sure thing that they will see eye to eye with Williams about the scope of a new contract. Williams had 2,831 yards from scrimmage and 31 total touchdowns in those campaigns and another year at that level should ensure someone wants to pay him for the next stage of his career.
