Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey. HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK

How the Rams-Dolphins trade for Jalen Ramsey almost didn’t happen

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 3/20/23

When the Los Angeles Rams began shopping Jalen Ramsey, the All-Pro cornerback held quite a bit of leverage, and they knew it.

SI.com’s Albert Breer recently revealed that L.A.’s initial asking price, which was reported to be at least a first- or second-round pick plus more, nearly killed the trade that sent Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins before it even started.

“(Dolphins GM Chris) Grier and (Rams GM Les) Snead circled back the Tuesday after the combine concluded,” Breer wrote. “Snead told Grier what he was looking for. Grier balked, saying the proposal was more than he was willing to give, and the Miami GM got off the phone thinking the deal was dead.”

But as the Rams continued to shop the six-time Pro Bowler, Ramsey’s agent, David Mulugheta, informed him the Dolphins were interested in acquiring him, to which the Florida State alum responded, "I'm not going anywhere but there, so make sure that's where I end up."

It’s all about leverage man. You’ve got to know your leverage and use it. As much as you can control your destiny you should. - Jalen Ramsey, asked by Marcel Louis-Jacques about player empowerment. pic.twitter.com/ISesVor3YR
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) March 16, 2023

Any team that traded for the 28-year-old corner would not only have to part with draft capital but also agree to a new big-money contract as well, and there was only one team Ramsey made it known he would give a discount to on a new deal: Miami.

“Two days later, Snead called back with a proposal, asking whether Miami would part with the 77th pick (in the 2023 draft) and reserve tight end Hunter Long,” Breer added. “There were teams willing to go further than that, but the Rams wanted to do right by Ramsey, and they also knew what Ramsey himself did—that no one would trade for the corner without knowing Ramsey would sign off on the deal.”

Ramsey signed a three-year, $55 million deal with the Dolphins last week once the trade was official.

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