The Miami Dolphins have acquired the Pro Bowl cornerback from the Los Angeles Rams.
Jalen Ramsey is returning to the state of Florida. The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to terms on a deal with the Dolphins sending the Pro Bowl cornerback to Miami in exchange for a 2023 third round pick (77th overall) and tight end Hunter Long. Adding Ramsey to new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense should help a team looking to take the next step with a deep playoff run.
For Los Angeles they receive a much needed draft pick and Hunter Long. Long has played just 183 snaps on offense since being drafted by Miami in 2021 with his lone catch coming in his rookie season. Perhaps Long’s usage changes in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for the Rams they are also taking on a healthy amount of dead money due to trading Jalen Ramsey. A small amount of money is being freed up ($5.6 million), but that pales in comparison to the $19.6 million dead cap hit.
While there is a debate about whether or not the salary cap is real, it misses the point entirely. The cap is very real, it is just when it comes into play regarding roster construction. This trade from the Rams shows the salary cap definitively making an impact.
All of this is a result of the aggressiveness of Los Angeles over the past few seasons. Exchanging draft picks for high profile players with big cap hits improves the team immediately at the cost of future financial flexibility. However the problem occurs after the period of success when the so-called “credit card bill” comes. Kicking the can down the road can only work for so long until everything compounds resulting in trading players to get under the cap. Considering the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, this trade off is worth it.
