NFL rumors ignite as Jalen Ramsey begins countdown to inevitable trade

If you haven't been following the hottest NFL rumor that links the Los Angeles Rams to trade for former All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey, you are missing quite a bit. You are almost certainly making a conscious decision to avoid the NFL this offseason. The Rams have been linked to Ramsey by nearly all NFL insiders and analysts worth their weight in salt.

We have touched on that subject repeatedly. After all, it's impossible to dispute a rumor when the Rams HC Sean McVay has confirmed that the team has engaged in trade talks with the Miami Dolphins. That was so out of character that it seems to be confirmation that an agreement had already been struck.

And yet, nothing had happened.

Before you turn skeptical, there are valid reasons why the Rams and Dolphins have not inked a trade. You see, the Dolphins are motivated to part ways with DB Jalen Ramsey because his salary cap hit is becoming limiting and overpriced from their perspective. While they will still face some financial discomfort even after trading him, the NFL and NFLPA have designated an opportunity to split the financial pain over two seasons.

Known as a June-1 designation, players who are traded or released on or after June 1 of any calendar year can have their salary cap impact spread over the current and next NFL seasons. That allows teams like the Miami Dolphins to consume the dead salary cap hit from trading away Ramsey in bite-sized chunks.

And the next clue to that taking place is the social media message from Jalen Ramsey himself. He has started the countdown: 5.

So what? A cryptic message is not uncommon from an NFL player who is the topic of hot rumors. Well, it may seem cryptic until you compare dates to that countdown. When you do that, you get:

• May 27, 2025 - 5
• May 28, 2025 - 4
• May 29, 2025 - 3
• May 30, 2025 - 2
• May 31, 2025 - 1
• June 1, 2025 - 0, blastoff.

Anyone who used to tune into Walter Cronkite's news coverage of a NASA launch countdown knows the drill. That countdown cliche is common knowledge and is a dead ringer to force conclusions that something big involving Jalen Ramsey is taking place on June 1, 2025.

Several teams have been mentioned as having interest in acquiring Ramsey. When the Rams traded Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, the team settled for a Round 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and TE Hunter Long. With two more years under his belt and a hefty salary cap impact to boot, what can the Dolphins reasonably expect for Ramsey?

The fair market value for any team is no higher than a Day 3 pick. That's not to say Ramsey is not an elite defensive back. But the salary commitment for any team acquiring Jalen Ramsey is a huge risk. And that will need to be factored into any trade purchase price.

Many fans love the idea of reuniting with Ramsey. And I have to admit to seeing Ramsey as a missing piece to this defense for 2025. Will the Rams pull the trigger on a trade? We'll know soon enough, in 10
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As always, thanks for reading.

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