Jalen Ramsey is one of the big names the Steelers added in Mike Tomlin’s last season, but who will Mike McCarthy keep? Gerry Dulac doesn’t think the roster will undergo a whole lot of changes based on coaching preferences. In fact, he predicts Jalen Ramsey will stay, and there will be “no blockbusters” among the moves.
The Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith last offseason in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a fifth-round pick. The jury is still out on which team benefited more. Ramsey struggled at cornerback in man coverage, though that’s not directly why he moved to safety.
Dulac, however, predicts Ramsey will remain at safety. Asked in a recent chat session if he and DeShon Elliott will be the starting pair there, he said, simply, “Yes”. Ramsey didn’t get to play with Elliott at safety, the latter suffering a season-ending injury before that move. He spent the year with Kyle Dugger, an in-season trade acquisition from the Patriots. Dugger is due to hit free agency, and the Steelers’ plans for him are unclear.
Asked more directly about his future, Dulac wrote, “I don’t see Ramsey exiting and, yes, they can adjust his cap hit if necessary. But that may not be necessary with the projected huge increase in the salary cap”.
The Steelers are on the books for $19.5 million in 2026 for Jalen Ramsey. He is due a $17.5 million base salary in addition to a $2 million roster bonus due March 13. If they had any intention of releasing him, one imagines they would do so before then. They could, of course, still trade him afterward.
Jalen Ramsey started every game for the Steelers in 2025, logging 1,105 snaps. He recorded a career-high 88 tackles with 4 for loss, 3 sacks, 2 interception, and 8 passes defensed. He did end up making the Pro Bowl, his position versatility likely aiding him there.
Arguably a future Hall of Famer, Jalen Ramsey was one of his generation’s elite lockdown cornerbacks. Last season showed the Steelers that, at 31 years old, he is no longer that guy. But they always planned for him to do a little bit of everything, and he primarily worked in the slot. Long before the Steelers traded him, he also expressed an interest in ending his career at safety.
Whether he recognizes it or not, Ramsey is likely nearing the end of his career. He holds great respect for others in his position of years past, specifically Charles Woodson and Rod Woodson. While he might have liked to hold on to his notion of being an elite lockdown cornerback a while longer, it seems unlikely the Steelers would want to bring him back under that pretense. As a versatile safety, yes—but at $19.5 million?