One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams will involve cornerback Jalen Ramsey playing the team that drafted him for the first time. As many are aware, the team traded the All-Pro to Los Angeles two seasons ago in October of 2019, and since, he’s continued to be an elite player for the NFL.
The relationship dod not end on great terms, and many believe it’s something Ramsey will use as fuel in Sunday’s game. However, on Thursday, that didn’t seem to be the case as he told the media that he was thankful for the time he spent in Duval as it kickstarted his career in the NFL.
“It was part of my journey,” Ramsey said, according to the Associated Press. “I’m grateful for my time there, but I’m happy to be here.”
It goes without saying that all players face adversity at some point in their career, and that was partly the case for Ramsey in Jacksonville. However, it’s something that ultimately made him stronger and he acknowledged that Thursday.
“I don’t like to compare Jacksonville to here,” Ramsey said. “I’m genuinely grateful for my time there and my whole experience. It was a part of my life that I needed, that I appreciated.”
While with the Jags, it wasn’t all bad for Ramsey as he became an All-Pro in just his second season. He also was a key part of a memorable Jacksonville defense that led the Jags to the playoffs and almost got a victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship.
However, friction developed between him in the front office dating back to when Tom Coughlin rejoined the team, and the relationship never saw improvement. As a result, what was once an elite group deteriorated, and the rest is history.
Now, the Jags look significantly different than they once did, and for that reason, Ramsey doesn’t feel like Sunday’s game will be all that big of a deal for him.
“This isn’t really about me playing Jacksonville,” Ramsey said. “It’s another game, right? I don’t even really much know people there no more. They’ve got a whole new damn near organization. I only know probably like five people on the team, and I don’t even really be talking to them like that. I only talk to maybe two of them.”
Only time will tell if Ramsey truly views Sunday’s game as a revenge game or not as players often don’t reveal their true feelings about playing their old teams until after the game. Then again, he genuinely could be over the Jags, and the efforts he puts forward this upcoming Sunday could more so be about trying to end the Rams’ current three-game skid more than anything.