Ramsey is under contract through the 2028 season
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Jalen Ramsey may have played his last down as a member of the Miami Dolphins. The organization has come to a mutual agreement with the former All-Pro cornerback to explore trade options, which is likely to lead to him playing elsewhere in 2025. Dolphins GM Chris Grier announced the decision on Tuesday.
“We decided it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward [separately],” Grier said.
This is quite the turn of events for both parties, as Ramsey just agreed to a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension with the club back in September, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. Following a season where Ramsey had a down year statistically and Miami dropped to an 8-9 record that led them to miss the playoffs, however, it looks like the two sides may look to reset and move on from one another.
In 2024, Ramsey played in all 17 games played for the Dolphins. While durable, the 30-year-old, seven-time Pro Bowler did see a dip in production for his standards, allowing an 83.2 passer rating when targeted in coverage along with a 62% completion rate. Last season also saw Ramsey miss the Pro Bowl for the first time since his rookie year in 2016.
Given Ramsey’s contract, it could be a bit difficult to move him via trade. He has a guaranteed salary of $24.3 million in 2025 with a cap number of roughly $16.6 million. If the Dolphins do find a trade partner, they’d clear about $8.5 million in salary cap space in 2025 if designated as a pre-June 1 trade. If Ramsey is designated as a post-June 1 trade, the cap relief would be $9.9 million for next season.
Ramsey first joined the Dolphins in 2023 when the club traded for him in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Upon arrival, Ramsey did face some adversity, tearing his meniscus in his knee, which delayed his debut with his new club. However, once he got on the field, Ramsey maintained his high level of play, allowing a 51.1 passer rating in coverage during his 10 games played in 2023.
The Florida State product initially entered the league as the fifth overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 and spent his first four years with the club before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in October 2019. In L.A., Ramsey helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI during the 2021 season.
As for what could be next for Ramsey, let’s take a look at a trio of landing spots.