12 March 2023 , 19:35
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One of the biggest trades of the 2023 off-season has been completed as the Los Angeles Rams have agreed a deal with the Miami Dolphins over star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey has been linked with a trade for weeks, but fans were surprised when seeing that the Rams will only receive a 2023 third-round pick and tight-end Hunter Long from the Miami Dolphins for the 28-year-old. Long only has one career catch in the NFL, and the Rams are giving up one of the best in the league.
The Rams are undergoing a refresh just two seasons after winning the Super Bowl, and Ramsey's trade was needed to shift major cap space ahead of the upcoming campaign. It seems that anyone other than Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald could be traded by the Rams, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero has offered some insight about their 'broader plan'.
Following the breaking news, Pelissero attempted to explain what is going on at the Rams, claiming they're being cut-throat in order to get back on track. Pelissero said on NFL Network: "There will be many people, I'm seeing them in my Twitter mentions, saying 'what are the Rams doing trading Jalen Ramsey for a third-round pick and a tight-end with one career catch?'
"But remember, this is part of a broader effort by the Rams to get their books right in terms of the salary cap, but also start to replenish their draft capital. They're going to release Bobby Wagner this week, they're trying to get someone to take on Allen Robinson's contract and they've given him permission to seek a trade.
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"Basically anyone outside of Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and maybe Matthew Stafford is available at this point. So they clear substantial off the books by moving on from Jalen Ramsey, who does get the next two years salary guaranteed at $35.5million at the Dolphins.
"For the Rams, they continue now to give themselves a little bit more flexibility and we'll see how they apply that now in the coming days with the free agent window set to open." After winning the Super Bowl in the 2021 campaign, the Rams stumbled across the finish line last season.
They finished the regular season with a record of 5-12, although they were hampered with injury. Quarterback Stafford and star receiver Kupp were both out for most of the season, and even after trading Ramsey it surely can't get any worse in 2023.
They'll be boosted by the fact that head coach Sean McVay has committed to the 2023 season despite reports he could step down from his role amid interest from Amazon, who wish to secure him as an analyst. There's a lot of work to be done at the Rams, and after clearing cap space it could be a very busy off-season.