The Los Angeles Rams have been trying to work out a contract extension with Jalen Ramsey since they acquired him from the Jaguars for two first-round picks last season. The two sides still haven’t come to an agreement, and the longer Los Angeles waits, the more Ramsey will cost.
That’s just the nature of playing stars, with each big-name player one-upping the guy who signs before him. But it also seems like Ramsey is raising his asking price despite nothing changing on the cornerback market since Darius Slay’s deal earlier this offseason.
He shared a cryptic post on Instagram with the words “uh oh..” followed by lyrics from Migos’ “What the Price” song. Those lyrics read:
“What’s the price? (What’s the price? Prices goin’up, prices)”
“Hold on (Price, goin’ up, yeah)”
Jalen Ramsey’s IG story is…interesting 👀💰 pic.twitter.com/nrRRcN1iFB
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) September 8, 2020
Ramsey has been steadfast on the idea that he’s not worried about his contract situation, but this Instagram post seems to suggest otherwise. Of course, he can brush it off as unrelated to contract talks, but the timing of it with the season approaching is certainly interesting.
Les Snead spoke to reporters on Monday and said the Rams are still talking to Ramsey and Cooper Kupp about contracts, which they hope to get done before the season. If not, the Rams will still be open to negotiating during the season.
Les Snead says the #LARams have had discussions about contract extensions w/ the agents of both Jalen Ramsey & Cooper Kupp to find “win-win” solutions for the player/team. Snead said he’s willing to continue negotiations into the regular season, unless agreed upon otherwise.
— Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) September 7, 2020
Sean McVay also laid out a tentative timeline Monday, saying this is around the time the Rams typically get extensions done. He’s not saying they’ll sign Ramsey or Kupp before Sunday’s game, but they’d like to.
“I think you know from covering us the last couple of years, those things, if we’re able to get something done, it’s usually right in these next couple of days is that window of time that’s kind of been consistent for some of our guys,” he said. “So, there’s a couple of key players that of ours that we are still working and whether or not we’re able to get that done, we remain optimistic. That that’s where we’re at with that. No further updates on any of those contract statuses with some of our players.”
Ramsey’s asking price is not known, but it’s reasonable to think he could approach $20 million per year – which the Rams probably knew when they traded for him. It’s just a matter of finding a cost they’re comfortable with, especially considering Kupp and a host of others will also be free agents in 2021.