Jalen Ramsey has long been one of the best cornerbacks in the National Football League.
The former fourth overall pick has made the Pro Bowl seven consecutive times from 2017 – his second year in the league – to 2023, with this past season being his only omission despite starting all 17 games for the Miami Dolphins.
Ramsey is still a very strong starting corner – and likely a CB1 for many organizations – but some believe that his future in the NFL will ultimately lie at a different position.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated predicts that the value of Ramsey moving forward, now aged 30, is at safety, and tips him to make a shift over to the position after his almost inevitable trade away from the Dolphins.
“The more people I talk to, the more I think Jalen Ramsey’s value now really is as a safety.” Breer writes, “That, by the way, doesn’t mean he can’t play corner anymore. He can. It’s just that, at this point, if you’re bringing him in, leaning into what he still does well and planning on having him as more than a stopgap rental, then safety is likely where his future lies.”
“Think Charles Woodson or Rod Woodson and you get an idea of where this could go.”
Jalen Ramsey Looking At A New Projected Contract Value Post Positional Switch
And this is not just speculation from the NFL insider, as Breer notes that there is at least one NFL executive who agrees with his assertion.
“I think that’s a safe landing spot to put him in position to still do things that he does well,” the NFL exec said, via Breer, “So that’s like a $10 million to $12 million player.”
Breer reasons that this new positional valuation could subsequently impact the financials on the most probably ensuing trade for Ramsey.
“That’s [$10-12 million] about half of the $21.1 million Ramsey has left on his deal for this year (a $4 million roster bonus has already been paid out),” Breer continues, “and sets a decent range for what the Miami Dolphins might have to do, as far as eating money goes, to get a decent return for the former All-Pro. Ramsey’s number is $21 million for next year, so if another team gets him for this year at $10 million, you could reason that he’s a $15 million per year guy for that team for the next two years.
What Trade Return Would This Leave The Dolphins With?
If, say, Breer’s math holds and the Dolphins eat $15 million of dead cap in 2025 – it begs the questino as to what Ramsey is now worth – particularly if he does move to safety
On the one hand, safeties are historiccally less valuable than cornerbacks in the NFL, with the highest paid corner – Derek Stingley Jr. – making substantially more per annum ($30 million) than the highest paid safety, Kerby Joseph ($21.25 million).
But on the other, teams may feel more confident in Ramsey’s ability as a safety/slot player, who is still able to use his football nous without having to rely on his pure physicality as much, so it could feel like a safer bet.
In this scenario, something approaching a fourth round pick seems about right for the 3 x All-Pro’s services.
