The Los Angeles Rams seem to finally be paying for the high-priced roster it assembled as they made the difficult decision to part ways with Bobby Wagner.
Despite Wagner making an All-Pro team for his performance during the 2022 season, the Rams went ahead and released him. It gave Los Angeles about $5 million in room, but the team is still over the cap and will need to continue trimming its bill ahead of the 2023 season.
One name that’s caught a lot of attention is Jalen Ramsey, who has not been shy about addressing his uncertain future with the Rams. Recent reports came out that Los Angeles has begun taking calls on the All-Pro defensive back and according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he’ll have no shortage of suitors as transcribed by Rob Goldberg of Bleacher Report:
“Now, Jalen Ramsey. This could be a hot market on the trade front. The Rams are talking calls here, so I’ve talked to some teams this weekend to see what’s going on here and the Detroit Lions come up fairly often. It’s just a reasonable potential fit because Brad Holmes, the GM there, was with the Rams for a long time, he knows Ramsey’s game, they need cornerback help. They’ve been sort of a build through the draft team, but could be one to watch. Las Vegas Raiders need help there, so Ramsey, with his skillset, only 28 years old, even though he’s due $17 million should have some suitors.”
Los Angeles gave Ramsey a lucrative five-year extension back in 2020, but it looks like the Pro Bowler won’t see the end of that deal with the team after all. The Rams were able to win Super Bowl LVI with Ramsey’s help, but it appears they’re ready to move on and try to retool the roster on the fly.
Despite the money owed to Ramsey, teams trading for him would still likely need to offer draft capital that would help L.A. with its lack of picks. The Rams are projected to have 10 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, and replenishing the cupboard would go a long way in helping them round out the team with cheap cost-controlled contracts.
At this point, a deal for Ramsey feels like it could be coming sooner rather than later which would signal an end of an era. The all-world DB played well with Los Angeles and it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up.
