Rams agree to trade Jalen Ramsey to Dolphins

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The Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed Sunday, accelerating the disassembling of the Rams’ Super Bowl roster while adding to the Dolphins’ growing collection of star players.

The Dolphins agreed to send tight end Hunter Long and a third-round choice in next month’s NFL draft to the Rams, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until Wednesday. That’s when the new league year begins and the free agent market officially opens.

Free agents can begin negotiating with other teams Monday. But teams already have begun to line up trades, and the Ramsey deal is a significant one for both the Dolphins and Rams.

“I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening!” Ramsey wrote on Twitter.

I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening! @MiamiDolphins LETSGO!

— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 12, 2023

Ramsey, 28, has been selected to the past six Pro Bowls during a seven-year NFL career spent with the Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also has been named a first-team all-pro three times. The Jaguars, who drafted him fifth overall in 2016, traded him to the Rams during the 2019 season.

In Miami, Ramsey will team with four-time Pro Bowl section Xavien Howard to give the Dolphins one of the NFL’s top cornerback tandems. Their roster has become star-laden, aided by several high-profile deals over the past year. The Dolphins traded for speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a blockbuster deal with the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason. They then added standout pass rusher Bradley Chubb in a trade with the Denver Broncos in November.

The Dolphins reached the AFC playoffs this past season but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the opening round. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed that game after suffering his second diagnosed concussion of the 2022 season. But the Dolphins reaffirmed their commitment to Tagovailoa by exercising the fifth-year option in his rookie contract Friday and have continued to improve the cast around him. Ramsey will play for the team’s recently hired defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio.

“Practice is going to be crazy now,” Hill wrote on Twitter, perhaps referencing the prospect of him and fellow wideout Jaylen Waddle working against Ramsey and Howard.

In Rams-like fashion, the Dolphins are taking a win-now approach as they attempt to challenge the Bills for AFC East supremacy. The trade leaves them with four selections in the seven-round draft this year.

Practice is going to be crazy now

— Ty Hill (@cheetah) March 12, 2023

The Rams used their all-in approach to construct a star-laden roster that produced a Super Bowl title in the 2021 season. But they slumped to a record of 5-12 last season, and Coach Sean McVay contemplated taking a break from coaching before deciding in January to return. Ramsey joins pass rusher Von Miller, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and left tackle Andrew Whitworth among the prominent players to have left the organization since the Super Bowl triumph.

The return in the Ramsey trade was relatively modest, with only a second-day draft pick and a tight end who has one catch over two NFL seasons. The Rams avoid having to pay Ramsey the $17 million salary due to him for the 2023 season under a contract that runs through 2025.

The Dolphins reportedly agreed to adjust the guaranteed-money aspects of Ramsey’s contract as part of the trade. Ramsey is to make a total of $55 million over the three seasons left on the contract.