Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that Jaguars owner Shad Khan had “priced every team in the NFL out of the Jalen Ramsey trade market” for nearly a month before the Rams decided to step up and complete a deal on Tuesday.
League sources tell Robinson that the trade with the Rams ultimately came down to Khan staying the course with his current front-office structure and waiting until a team stepped up with the kind of offer he wanted for Ramsey.
According to Robinson, Khan attempted to broker peace between Ramsey and president Tom Coughlin, even though Ramsey had made it clear on multiple occasions that he wanted to be traded. Khan reportedly believed that if he could get Coughlin and Ramsey together, he could mediate the situation and repair any damage.
Robinson says the Jaguars also spoke with the Eagles, Ravens and Saints about a potential trade for Ramsey, but none were willing to part with the kind of draft haul Khan was set on getting for his star cornerback.
Ramsey had been sitting out of games on a weekly basis with a back injury and it reportedly became clear to Jacksonville that he wasn’t going to return to the field for them. This made it much easier for Khan to accept the Rams’ offer of two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection, writes Robinson.
While Ramsey is out, sources have told Robinson that they don’t believe the trade isn’t an indication that Coughlin’s future is safe.
Ramsey will still need to pass a physical for the Rams before the deal is official.
Ramsey, 24, is a former first-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2016. He signed a four-year, $23.35 million contract and is set to make a base salary of $3.63 million in 2019.
The Jaguars picked up Ramsey’ fifth-year option that will cost them around $13 million for the 2020 season and will become fully guaranteed on the first day of 2020 league year.
In 2019, Ramsey has appeared in three games for the Jaguars and recorded 18 tackles, a forced fumble and one pass defense.
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