JACKSON: Cost for Jalen Ramsey may be too much for Saints
04/15/2025
By Ross Jackson
It has been a tumultuous offseason for the Miami Dolphins and that may lead to another team being the benefactor of some potential key departures.
During ongoing early offseason drama surrounding wide receiver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins have reportedly agreed to test the market with another former All-Pro player.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Dolphins and three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey will mutually seek a trade.
The New Orleans Saints have quickly come up in conversation for many trying to predict Ramsey’s next landing spot. The cornerback and Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley have experience working together dating back to 2020.
During that season, Staley was Ramsey’s defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams. The corner finished the season with an interception, nine passes defended, and 44 combined tackles. Two tackles were for a loss. He also forced his career second lowest passer rating (76.3) and completion percentage (53.3%) on his way to his fourth Pro Bowl and second first-team All-Pro recognition.
When Stanley was tapped as the Saints’ new defensive coordinator, Ramsey immediately celebrated the hire, taking to X to show his support.
my guy! https://t.co/enzHTzfHxS
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) February 21, 2025
In the past, Staley has been equally gratuitous to Ramsey, crediting him as “one of the biggest reasons” he got the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching job after one year as the Rams defensive coordinator.
Assuming the trade price isn’t steep, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Saints get in on conversations with the Dolphins. New Orleans could be looking for another starting corner with the departure of free agent cornerback Paulson Adebo, who signed with the New York Giants this offseason. The conundrum would be whether or not the Saints deployed Ramsey or Alontae Taylor in the slot and which one would man the outside. But that would be a good problem to have.
If New Orleans were to surprise by pulling off a reasonable trade for Ramsey, they would take on about $21.1 million in new salary. They have roughly $28 million in cap space, enough to absorb Ramsey’s salary. However, they’d need to decide whether to restructure his deal or explore other options to preserve cap flexibility and maximize rollover into 2026.