Jalen Ramsey Has Probably Played His Final Game For The Dolphins And It Makes No Sense

This Miami Dolphins trade situation with Jalen Ramsey is weird and makes zero sense.

But if you're a Miami Dolphins fan, you're probably not surprised by any of this because you're used to weird things. Because, remember, this is a club whose ownership and general manager set out to tank the 2019 season, and they did this by hiring a head coach who refused to go along with the plan and even admitted he refused a $100K per loss bonus from Stephen Ross. 

Then they drafted a quarterback that the coach disliked and mistreated.

Dolphins Specialize In Weird

Then they broke NFL rules by tampering with Tom Brady. And Sean Payton. So weird is a thing around this organization.

The Ramsey trade issue is not anywhere close to the top of Dolphins weirdness. It's only the latest thing and that forced general manager Chris Grier to address it before he took questions at his mandatory pre-draft press conference on Tuesday.

"Just first, good afternoon, wanted to address obviously the news of the day," Grier said of the leaked news the club and the seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback have agreed to each seek a trade to end their two-year relationship.

"…After a couple of weeks of discussions between ourselves internally and Jalen and his representation, we decided it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward. So, I will say these decisions aren't done quickly, and they're not taken lightly because we spent a lot of time this offseason working through this, talking through things.

"At the end of the day, Jalen did not ask for a trade. So we went through the process and just felt that after numerous conversations and just talking last week with Jalen and his agent, that it was best to move forward, and it was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and for Jalen Ramsey."

Dec 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) attempts to tackle New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Reasons For Breakup Unclear

Why the club and the player have agreed to this likely parting is still not fully clear.

Grier said Ramsey did not ask for a salary adjustment (pay raise).

The player also didn't ask for a trade.

So, why is this happening?

"Uh, really, those discussions I'll keep internally," Grier said. "I'm not going to get out here and talk about it, but we had a lot of discussions about it on both sides, and at the end of the day, we felt this is what was best for the Dolphins and for Jalen."

And now allow me to speculate:

This only makes sense if the Dolphins asked Ramsey to take a cut in pay and he declined. Or if Ramsey had some sort of disagreement internally within the organization that makes keeping him impossible.

Both are hard to fathom.

Ramsey Not Great But Pretty Good

Ramsey wasn't his Pro Bowl self in 2024. He had one less interception (2) in 17 games than he did in 2023 when he played 10 games.

He also had that dubious outing against Garrett Wilson and the Jets.

But his grades from ProFootballFocus were good. His combined coverage and run defense grades ranked him No. 8 overall among cornerbacks. 

So it would be curious if the Dolphins tried to get Ramsey to take a pay cut. It would be doubly curious because cornerback is a position of need for the Dolphins. And it would be triple curious because last offseason the Dolphins gave Ramsey a three-year contract extension that included a pay raise.

So the team experiencing buyer's remorse based on performance and weighing against their needs would be, well, unorthodox.

And yet the talks between Ramsey and the team apparently included a lot of negotiating with the agent. They weren't talking about a pay raise.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 19: General manager Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Door Ajar For Ramsey To Stay

Grier also left open the possibility that Ramsey isn't traded right away. That might mean the team would then release him outright or keep him for a while longer.

"We're prepared if he's here, we'll deal with it, and if he's not we'll adjust as well," the general manager said. "So we feel good about where it is. It's never easy to replace a player like Jalen. 

"He's was a good player for us and probably be a Hall of Famer here. But for the Miami Dolphins going forward, we feel like this is the best chance to help us win, not only just this year but in the future as well."

Again, this is strange stuff. He's a good player that will be hard to replace, but getting rid of him makes the team better.

The idea the club is willing to wait this out if a trade doesn't immediately materialize also suggests this isn't an internal discipline issue. One does not keep discipline issues on the roster longer than necessary.

Wait, this is the Dolphins. They're keeping Tyreek Hill despite his latest escapade, Grier said Tuesday.

All weird.