The Falcons still have a couple of post-draft roster needs, and a Jalen Ramsey trade could fill one of them.
I might not put it ahead of another center or a nose tackle/defensive tackle, but cornerback isn’t far behind. Mike Hughes, though more than solid last year, has been up and down his entire career. Dee Alford was BBQ chicken last year. Clark Phillips might have physical limitations that no amount of development can overcome, and Billy Bowman Jr. was a fourth round pick that is making the transition to corner after playing safety at Oklahoma.
That’s not even considering what an injury to Hughes or A.J. Terrell would do to this room. Adding another proven body should be a priority this offseason, but there’s one problem — money.
Jalen Ramsey costs a lot, and the Falcons aren’t rolling in cash, as is the case with most potential interested suitors, according to Albert Breer.
“I think the Los Angeles Rams would love to have him (Ramsey). The money is the issue for the Rams and any other potential suitor, and the Miami Dolphins who are trying to move him as well. He’s due $25.1 million this year, and all but $865,000 of it is fully guaranteed. At this point of the offseason, very few teams have the cash in the budget or room on the cap to take that salary on.”
Breer added that Miami would have to eat a chunk of Ramsey’s salary to facilitate a trade for the Rams, who he believes to be a viable landing spot. But that same thinking would probably apply to the Falcons as well. Ironically, Raheem Morris spent time coaching Ramsey in Los Angeles, and the seven-time Pro Bowler was one of the first to congratulate Morris on his new gig, “One of, if not the best coach in the NFL,” Ramsey tweeted.
Ramsey has a $16.67 million cap in 2025, but that is the last year on the contract with guaranteed money. He’s under contract through the 2028 season, when he’ll be 34 years old.
The Falcons might not see a Jalen Ramsey trade as feasible as others, but the need for a proven cornerback still remains.
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