LA Rams: Kwan – Jalen Ramsey got it, other NFL DBs want it

In 2019, the LA Rams wanted to elevate their fading pass defense in a big way. That same year, a very disgruntled defensive back named Jalen Ramsey wanted to be traded away from the Jacksonville Jaguar in the worst way. Of course, by the time the media narrative had been set, the reputation of Jalen Ramsey was brought down to that of a petulant tot, on par with a child screaming in the candy aisle of a grocery store because he demanded that his mother or father get him candy now. At that moment. Right now.

Of course, the LA Rams were not dissuaded from that narrative but instead pressed ahead with their plans to land the All-Pro defensive back in the midst of the 2019 NFL season and have had no reason to regret that decision. Even the sulkiness and short-fused reputation burned off like fog under a warm morning sun.

The guy was simply the best defensive back and wanted to be paid as such. The LA Rams were willing to do that, and a year ago even as negotiations occurred, Ramsey was happy, content, and most surprisingly, patient. That deal got done, and Jalen Ramsey emerged as the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL.  The Rams stuck to their guns and paid Ramsey, and Ramsey has been an ideal player.

The Rams had good reasons to trade for and pay Jalen Ramsey as the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL. Perhaps one of the unexpected benefits that have arisen is the amount of pressure that his contract applies upon other NFL teams to ante up. Of course, it helps to see that kind of pressure on NFC West rivals, but it appears to be working on all other 31 teams.

Just check out the latest player snafu of the Miami Dolphins with cornerback Xavien Howard:

Doesn’t that sound awfully familiar to the New England Patriots’ eroding relationship with cornerback Stephen Gilmore? You know, the guy who demanded to be traded from the Patriots earlier, and who Jalen Ramsey recruited to consider asking to be traded to the LA Rams?

Yeah, him.

With more and more of the “I don’t want to be here, trade me now” phenomenon occurring in the NFL, that trade for and contract with All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey is looking better and better all the time.

Ramsey was not about the money. Well not all about the money. Money is nice, sure. But for Jalen Ramsey, and many NFL players, it’s that sense of does this team appreciate what I’m doing for them. That and the trust that the team has his back. Finally, it’s about the loyalty, the mutual “I got your back” sense that he now shares with the LA Rams organization. He is able to focus on being the best on the football field because he knows that the Rams organization has taken care of his needs off the football field. Jalen Ramsey has Kwan.

Other players in the NFL are trying to achieve that sense of “Kwan”. The big sweet dollar. Love. Respect. Community. And the dollars too.  That level of pay from an NFL team that tells the rest of the league that they think their guy is the best.

That is what Jalen Ramsey has right now. Kwan. Stephen Gilmore wants Kwan too.  Now it seems that Xavien Howard wants Kwan as well.