Following an offseason’s worth of speculation, the Los Angeles Rams were finally able to lock down cornerback Jalen Ramsey to a five-year, $105 million extension heading into the 2020 NFL season.
The lucrative payday not only makes Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, but he is also the first defensive back ever to sign a deal worth over $100 million. The final result represents the heavy investment Los Angeles made after trading away a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick during the 2019 campaign.
Now that Ramsey has his long-term security and the Rams have another franchise cornerstone locked up on defense, both sides can now move forward in a new era at SoFi Stadium without any distractions.
The three-time Pro bowler admits that he got emotional at the thought of being able to provide for his family, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“I mean, I don’t even cry or nothing like that, but I just teared up kind of thinking about my daughters and thinking about how I can just take care of them without any worries,” Ramsey said during a video conference with reporters Friday morning. “How they’ll never have to worry in their life.”
Ramsey added that he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Los Angeles:
“This team has been everything that I’ve dreamed of, plus more,” Ramsey said. “And I can’t wait to honestly play here for hopefully the rest of my career.”
Ramsey also has high expectations for what him and defensive tackle Aaron Donald can accomplish:
“I can’t wait to tell my kids one day that I played with the best football player ever, Aaron Donald,” Ramsey said. “Hopefully, we can do great things, win Super Bowls and do a lot of great things in L.A.”
Although all the talk about ongoing contract negotiations had even started to perturb Ramsey, both sides were always optimistic that a deal would get done. It is safe to say that he is relishing in the change of scenery since his arrival.
Ramsey will now be tasked with leading this Rams’ defense alongside Donald for the foreseeable future and his comments indicate that they both have high hopes for this group. He already gave the team a taste of what it’s like to have a lockdown corner in the secondary last season with an interception, four pass deflections and a forced fumble in nine games.
Having two elite players at such key positions should help pay huge dividends for first-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
