Marcel Louis-Jacques and Sarah Barshop2:21 PM ET2 Minute Read
The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to trade cornerback star Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins for a 2023 third-round pick (No. 77 overall) and tight end Hunter Long, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Sunday.
Trading will be settled on Wednesday, when the 2023 league year officially begins.
Ramsey tweeted his excitement for trading on Sunday, writing: “I’ve been praying specifically for this for about a month and now it’s happening! @MiamiDolphins LETSGO!”
Widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, joins another former All-Pro in Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard.
Miami has aggressively built its roster over the past year, also trading for All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Pro Bowl linebacker Bradley Chubb.
The Dolphins had a need for the cornerback after informing Byron Jones that he would be fired at the start of the new league year and took several steps last week to clarify salary caps and restructure Hill, Chubb and Terron Armstead’s contracts had.
After this trade, the Dolphins have four picks in the 2023 draft: one each in the second, third, sixth, and seventh rounds.
The Rams landed a blockbuster trade for Ramsey in 2019, sending first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and a fourth-rounder to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. Less than a year later, Los Angeles signed Ramsey to a five-year, $105 million contract extension, which was the largest ever in his position at the time of the deal.
Ramsey has three years left on contract, although there is no guaranteed money left for the last two seasons. The veteran cornerback was the only player from that core Rams group to win the Super Bowl and not sign a contract extension or revised contract this past offseason. Ramsey is third in AAV ($20 million), behind Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander ($21 million) and Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward ($20.1 million).
By trading Ramsey before June 1, the Rams will take $19.6 million in dead money for their 2023 salary cap with $5.6 million in cap savings.
Ramsey becomes the third notable defensive player to be dropped by the Rams as they work to get below the salary cap. The Rams previously parted ways with linebacker Bobby Wagner and fired pass rusher Leonard Floyd.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey was the third-best cornerback in the NFL last season. He finished the season with 4 interceptions, 18 passes defended, 12 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. His four interceptions tied his career up.
In seven seasons, Ramsey has 19 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. He was named a first-team All-Pro for the 2017, 2020, and 2021 seasons.