The Philadelphia Eagles were wise to hold off on a Jalen Ramsey trade.
When it was revealed that cornerback Jalen Ramsey was on the trade block last season, fans of the Philadelphia Eagles were quick to beg the team to get involved. Philly had experienced some truly brutal CB play the last two seasons, and landing a guy of Ramsey’s caliber seemed like the surefire fix.
However, Howie Roseman opted to sit on his hands during the trade deadline, with his only move being shipping out a fourth-round pick for DE/OLB Genard Avery. The Los Angeles Rams were ultimately the team to land the coveted corner out of Jacksonville, trading away an absolute war chest of picks which included two first rounders and a fourth.
At the time, trading away two first rounders for Ramsey seemed like way too much. A few months later, and Roseman’s decision to lay off has become even more validated. Not only have the Philadelphia Eagles landed their own respective lockdown corner in Darius Slay, but Ramsey just smashed through the cornerback market, agreeing to a five-year extension worth $105 million to remain in LA. Not only was it the largest contract ever signed by a cornerback, but his average annual salary puts him towards the top of the entire NFL.
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Ability aside for a moment, $21 million a season for a corner is simply too much money to be handing out, especially considering the fact that it’s set to take place over the next five seasons. Even if Ramsey starts to slow down in terms of productivity, the Rams are going to be locked into paying that salary, hamstringing them at other positions like offensive line for example.
The main reason the Rams were in such a tough spot with Ramsey contractually in the first place was due to that initial trade that occurred. Player’s value is almost always higher at the trade deadline (due to teams being desperate), and Ramsey had all the leverage in this specific scenario. The Rams gave up two first-round picks for Ramsey, and the veteran CB knew the team had to get a contract extension done. Otherwise, you could be looking at some potential firings in the front office.
Ramsey used this to his advantage, milking every last penny that he could out of the LA front office.
A player of Ramsey’s caliber undoubtedly would have made the Philadelphia Eagles a better team last season, but by keeping their options open (as opposed to trading away multiple high value assets), the team was able to land a corner in the offseason on a cheaper price, while also keeping their crucial first rounder.
Ultimately, Howie Roseman ended up with Darius Slay, Jalen Reagor, and whoever else they draft in next year’s first-round, as opposed to just landing Ramsey on a $100+ million contract.
I get it, we all love big time deadline day trades (trust me I’m no exception). However, considering the Eagles financial situation going forward, and just the general scope of the NFL, normally these monster trade packages don’t work out in the long run for teams. Howie Roseman has a long track record of “fleecing” teams when it comes to trade negotiations, so if he pulls out of a deal, it’s normally for good reason. The recent Ramsey extension proves that point to a tee.