The Dolphins are looking at trade options involving cornerback Jalen Ramsey, but they are not doing the same with wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hill’s future with the Dolphins became a talking point due to Hill’s comments at the end of the 2024 season, but the wideout reversed course to say that he isn’t trying to leave Miami and the Dolphins have said they plan to move forward with Hill. General Manager Chris Grier said on Tuesday that the team’s view hasn’t changed.
Hill was involved in a domestic dispute earlier this month that led to police being called and the NFL has requested information about the incident, but there were no charges filed and Grier said at a press conference that the team is not working to send Hill to another team.
“That is not anything that we’re pursuing,” Grier said. “Like I said, if someone wants to come and give me two first round picks then we’d consider it. But, as of right now, it’s not something we’re considering.”
It seems unlikely that anyone would be willing to part with two first round selections for Hill, so it seems likely that he’ll be back for another season in Miami.
General Manager Chris Grier confirmed that the Dolphins are looking to trade defensive back Jalen Ramsey in his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Grier noted that while Ramsey did not request a trade, nor did he want a contract adjustment, the team and player eventually agreed that a trade would be best for both parties. Grier also said that there were “a couple weeks” of discussions between Miami and Ramsey’s representation.
“I will say, these decisions aren’t done quickly and they’re not taken lightly because we’ve spent a lot of time this offseason working through this, talking through things,” Grier said. “At the end of the day, Jalen did not ask for a trade. So, we went through the process and just felt that after numerous conversations and then talking last week with Jalen and his agent, that it was best to move forward. And [it’s the] best interest of the Miami Dolphins and for Jalen Ramsey.”
Ramsey, 30, was acquired via trade from the Rams in the 2023 offseason. While he missed seven games that year due to a knee injury, he started all 17 in 2024, playing 97 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps. He recorded 22 passes defensed with two interceptions plus a sack and six tackles for loss last season.
The No. 5 overall pick of the 2016 draft, Ramsey was traded from the Jaguars to the Rams midway through the 2019 season. He won Super Bowl LVI with Los Angeles to cap the 2021 season.
Grier noted he wasn’t sure about the timing of a Ramsey trade, but it could happen before, during, or after the draft. Grier declined to say whether Ramsey was unhappy with the scheme, noting he was going to keep the content of the discussions between team and player in-house.
“I think when you’re talking through the offseason and all these conversations are happening through the offseason, you’re still working and you try to prepare for scenarios,” Grier said. “So, again, this was a long discussion — many discussions, I would say — throughout the offseason. This wasn’t anything we rushed to and just said today, let’s do this. So, we’re prepared if he’s here, we’ll deal with it. And if he’s not, we’ll adjust as well. So, we feel good about where it is.
“It’s never easy to replace a player like Jalen. He was a good player for us. He’s a good player. He’ll probably be a Hall of Famer here. But for the Miami Dolphins going forward, we feel like this is the best chance to help us win — not only just this year but in the future as well.”
Ramsey has been selected to seven Pro Bowls and is a three-time AP first-team All-Pro. He has recorded 108 passes defensed, 24 interceptions, six forced fumbles, 27 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks in his nine-year career.
Last September, the Dolphins rushed to give cornerback Jalen Ramsey a contract with a new-money average of $24.1 million, days after the Broncos made cornerback Patrick Surtain II the highest-paid cornerback with a new-money average of $24 million.
Fewer than eight months later, the Dolphins are looking to trade Ramsey.
Which means they never should have given him his latest contract.
A trade will have significant consequences. Based on the terms of his contract from last year — and the existing proration from the prior deal — a trade before June 1 will trigger a $25.213 million dead-money charge. After June 1, a trade would split the dead money into $6.745 million in 2025 and $18.468 million in 2026.
Ramsey has already received a $4 million roster bonus on March 16. The best time to trade him would have been before that bill came due.
Ramsey also has a fully-guaranteed option bonus for 2025, in the amount of $18.98 million. The new team would be on the hook for that payment, along with a fully-guaranteed base salary for 2025 of $1.255 million. That’s $20.153 million for a 31-year-old cornerback whose best days are in the rear-view mirror.
It makes for a tough sell. The Dolphins may have to pay some of that $20.153 million to make a trade happen.
They’re going to pay it anyway, thanks to a contract that seemed like a stretch at the time and that now can fairly be called ill-advised.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey may be on the move.
NFL Media reports that the Dolphins and Ramsey have mutually agreed to explore trade options heading into the 2025 season.
Ramsey signed a three-year extension with the Dolphins before the 2024 season, but the first new year of the deal is not until 2026 so he is under contract through the 2028 campaign. The last guaranteed money included in his deal comes this year, however, and he was due around $25 million in salary and bonuses for the coming season.
Ramsey started every game for the Dolphins last season and recorded 60 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. He was not selected for the Pro Bowl for the first time since his rookie season and the three-time All-Pro has not been selected for that roster since he was with the Rams in 2021.
Next week’s draft could provide an opportunity to move Ramsey for draft pick compensation and such a move could signal a shift in focus for the Dolphins after they failed to reach the playoffs last season.
Former Washington State receiver Kyle Williams is having a busy April.
Per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, a total of nine teams have set up pre-draft visits with Williams. He was with the Dolphins on Sunday and is set to visit the Bears, 49ers, and Seahawks this week.
Williams, 22, played his first three collegiate seasons at UNLV and spent the last two years with Washington State. He finished the 2024 season with 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games.
He played 50 career games for UNLV and Washington State, catching 248 passes for 3,609 yards with 29 TDs.
Williams impressed at the scouting combine with his 4.4-second 40-yard dash and is projected to be a second or third-round pick in this year’s draft.
