It has seemingly become a question of when, not if, the Miami Dolphins will trade cornerback Jalen Ramsey this offseason. Well, it’s also still sort of a question of where.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin proposed a trade Thursday that would send Ramsey to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Ramsey and the Miami Dolphins have basically been broadcasting the cornerback’s trade availability for weeks, anticipating a breakup less than one year after the two sides struck a lucrative contract extension,” Benjamin wrote. “And early indications are Ramsey would prefer to land in Los Angeles.
“A reunion with the Rams makes sense given their title aspirations and secondary needs, but the Chargers were reportedly close to swinging a major deal for Metcalf earlier this offseason, so they could be even more primed to part with real draft capital, this time to shore up the back end of Jesse Minter’s defense.
“They’ve still got north of $25 million in 2025 salary cap space.”
Although it could be different for the team that acquires him, Ramsey possesses about a $16.7 million cap hit for the 2025 season.
As Benjamin noted, Ramsey signed a three-year, $72 million extension before last season. But the contract has a potential out after the 2025 campaign.
The Chargers could acquire him with the “wait-and-see” plan for beyond 2025.
Ramsey posted 60 combined tackles, including six tackles for loss, 11 pass defenses and two interceptions last season. He made the seventh Pro Bowl of his career in 2023.
Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey Heading to the West Coast?
Benjamin isn’t the first to suggest the Chargers as a landing spot for Ramsey. ESPN’s Adam Schefter proposed the idea as well while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on June 20.
During the appearance, Schefter emphasized Ramsey returning to the west coast, where he won a Super Bowl with the Rams during the 2021-22 season.
“I don’t know exactly when it’s gonna be, but Jalen Ramsey will get traded,” Schefter told McAfee. “It’ll be, I would expect, before the start of training camp.
“We’ll see how it shakes out, where he goes. I think he would like to go to the West Coast, to the Los Angeles Chargers, somewhere like that. And we’ll see how that happens.”
As the roster stands with a little less than a month to go before training camp begins, pundits expect second-year cornerback Cam Hart and veteran free agent signing Donte Jackson to start for the Chargers.
Hart started six games as a rookie last season. Jackson spent the 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he posted a career-best five interceptions but otherwise experienced an up-and-down season.
Could Ramsey Return to the Los Angeles Rams?
NFL pundits have speculated that Ramsey not only has a preference to return to the west coast but play in Los Angeles this season. He spent three and a half seasons with the Rams before the team dealt him to the Dolphins in 2023.
The Rams being involved in trade negotiations could prevent the Chargers from landing the veteran cornerback.
“It’s clear someone in the Ramsey trade sweepstakes is being stingy, be it Ramsey or the Dolphins or potential suitors, probably because of the financial toll attached to an aging, though accomplished, cover man,” Benjamin wrote. “And the Chargers have ultimately settled for more team-friendly gambles this offseason, leaving their Los Angeles counterparts, the Rams, as legitimate competition in trade talks.”
Ramsey could be an upgrade over the Chargers’ current cornerback starters. But he missed the Pro Bowl last season for the first time since his rookie year.
In October, Ramsey will turn 31 years old. As Benjamin noted, he’s not likely worth the average annual salary his contract extension will pay him in 2025.
The Rams’ potential involvement for Ramsey is good news for the Dolphins. That will only raise the asking price for the cornerback.
But it could also mean the Chargers dropping out of contention for Ramsey to avoid a bidding war.
