Jalen Ramsey made a strong statement this summer when he arrived at Jaguars training camp in an adidas Brinks truck, sending a message that he wants to get paid. Jacksonville didn’t give him the extension he believes he deserves, and this week, he was traded to the Rams for three draft picks.
Will his new team break the bank to keep him around for “years and years to come” like Ramsey wants? That remains to be seen, because Ramsey is still on his rookie deal and signed through 2020.
At his introductory press conference Wednesday, Ramsey clarified that he’s not focused on getting a new contract and knows it will take care of itself.
“I’m not really worried about it. To be honest, I’ve kind of said that a lot, but I don’t think people really believed me,” Ramsey said. “I’m not worried about it, it will happen in due time. I have full confidence in myself and my abilities. I think I will continue to be the best corner in the league for years and years and years to come. It will handle itself. It’s all in god’s timing.”
The Rams aren’t exactly lush with cap space right now after giving extensions out to Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks and Aaron Donald in the last two years. Surely, they’ll be able to fit a new contract for Ramsey under the cap, but it doesn’t seem like they’re in any rush to get that done.
General manager Les Snead said on Wednesday that the Rams haven’t set a timeline to get a deal done with Ramsey, but they have had internal discussions, it seems.
“No, no timeline on that. We did put a timeline a little bit in place with it. I don’t want to give to many details on that,” he said. “Again, we are just meeting Jalen today. Obviously. He, to date, has earned a chance to probably get a nice contract for the job he does and the position he plays.”
The Rams should feel inclined to sign Ramsey to a long-term extension, given the price they paid to acquire him and his very public remarks about cashing in at some point. The franchise tag is always available after his contract expires, but Ramsey doesn’t seem like a player who would be willing to sign the tender on the dotted line.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a deal done in the near future to prevent any future concerns about Ramsey’s contract.
