There’s rampant speculation about the possibility of the Los Angeles Rams trading Jalen Ramsey. It primarily started with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler talking to league executives, who believe the Rams could shop Ramsey this offseason.
It would seem like a foolish move for a team whose Super Bowl window is closing a bit, but they also need draft picks and cap relief in order to build for the future. Ramsey is their most tradeable asset and could probably recoup a first-round pick or two in return.
Rams COO Kevin Demoff spoke on Wednesday night and he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of moving Ramsey. He mentioned how important Ramsey has been on defense, but also added that the Rams have to figure out “what’s best moving forward” with all of their players.
“I think anytime you go from Super Bowl champions to a disappointing year, everybody’s always wondering what’s next,” Demoff told NFL Network. “For us, it’s getting our players healthy, it’s getting back to playing at the caliber. Jalen’s been a huge piece of what we’ve done and I think for all of our players it’s going to be about figuring out what’s best moving forward.”
Are the #Rams going to trade Jalen Ramsey?
Rams COO Kevin Demoff told me
"I think for all of our players it's going to be about figuring out what's best moving forward…but could not be more grateful for Jalen for what he's done for the Rams leading this defense." pic.twitter.com/7ST22h2JPJ
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) February 16, 2023
Then Demoff mentioned something very interesting. He said the Rams get calls about all of their good players, “not just Jalen.” That suggests teams could be inquiring about players such as Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Bobby Wagner.
“But when you are a team like the Rams who’s had success, we have a lot of great players, people are always inquiring about our talent and it’s not just Jalen,” he continued. “We get calls on all of our good players all the time. The next few months, we’ll see what direction this team goes but could not be more grateful for Jalen for what he’s done for the Rams leading this defense.”
If the Rams do trade Ramsey before June 1, they’d only clear $5.6 million in cap space this year. If he’s a post-June 1 trade, they’d save $17 million, which is a significant amount for a team that’s currently $14 million over the limit.
The team would still be better off keeping Ramsey, especially when it comes to the 2023 season, but nothing the Rams do should ever surprise anyone.
