[jwplayer wA87tz0D-ThvAeFxT]
Like just about every other team, the bulk of the Rams’ offseason moves have already been made. That might be disappointing to some, considering how inactive they were in free agency, but it’s the reality of having limited cap space.
One move that could still happen is signing Jalen Ramsey to a contract extension. Ramsey is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to make just over $13 million in 2020. He’s said he won’t hold out of camp without a new contract, but the earlier the Rams can get his extension done, the better things will be next year.
The Rams have made it clear they want to keep him long term, and Ramsey said the team is on the same page with his agent, but there’s been no real traction made yet – not publicly, at least.
Rams GM Les Snead was on “Around the NFL” recently and he was asked whether the team is confident it will sign Ramsey this offseason. He was reluctant to say much on the subject, but he did express a desire to have Ramsey around for years to come.
“I’m going to keep those things in-house,” Snead said. “But what we are confident in is his ability to help the Rams not only on the playing field, but as you get to know Jalen, he is a very impressive human being. He’s very intelligent, which when you’re an intelligent person and football player, that allows defensive coordinators to get maybe more creative and he’s also someone who’s passionate about winning and passionate about helping the team win whatever way he can. So I do think there’s some intangibles and leadership qualities there, so we’re confident he’s going to help the Rams. The goal is to have him helping us get back to contending for that division for not just the 2020 season, but many seasons to come.”
When Ramsey does sign his next extension – whether it’s with the Rams or someone else – he will reset the cornerback market. He’ll blow away the top salary at the position, which is currently held by Darius Slay at $16.7 million per year.
He’ll probably top Byron Jones’ $54.4 million guaranteed and get a large signing bonus, too. We projected what Ramsey’s contract could look like, and while it didn’t top $20 million per year, he could come close to that number.
Signing him to a new contract could actually free up space for the Rams, too, which is an added benefit. They could lower his cap hit in 2020 and spread the money out over the life of the contract, thus creating some financial flexibility in the immediate future.
That has to happen before the regular season begins, however, so the Rams have some work to do.
[vertical-gallery id=634784]