With Minkah Fitzpatrick going to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a deal before Week 3, the Jacksonville Jaguars should a command huge haul for Jalen Ramsey.
We’re just now entering Week 3 of the 2019 NFL season and some players are getting tired of losing already. The player empowerment era has officially arrived in the NFL and some star players are no longer okay with getting paid to play for losing franchises.
Monday night saw the Miami Dolphins trade free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers that included Pittsburgh’s 2020 first-round pick. Miami is arguably the worst team in football and is clearly in rebuilding mode.
However, sending their 2018 first-round pick after a year and two games to a conference opponent is a tad strange, as is Pittsburgh parting with a precious first-round pick. So who is the next disgruntled star player who may want out of town? That might very well be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey is a two-time Pro Bowler and helped guide the Jaguars to the AFC Championship during his All-Pro season in 2017. Though an immensely talented player, it does seem that Ramsey’s days in Duval County are numbered.
Ramsey is in his fourth year in the league out of Florida State. The former No. 5 overall pick had his player option exercised for 2020, but he could be a serious trade target for the Jaguars if management and the coaching staff wants to move on from him. He was seen arguing with head coach Doug Marrone on the sidelines in Week 2’s road loss to the Houston Texans.
So if the Jaguars do decide to deal Ramsey before the trade deadline this fall, what kind of haul could they get for arguably their best player? Jacksonville should get a first-round pick and then some, especially after a less proven player in Fitzpatrick yielded the Dolphins a first-round pick from the Steelers.
Would it be too much to ask for two first-round picks for a player of Ramsey’s caliber? Potentially, but he is a Khalil Mack-level player in the Jaguars secondary. Ramsey is a perennial Pro Bowl talent and a playmaker that many teams in the NFL would want to have in their defensive backfield.
With Ramsey being under contract through the 2020 NFL season thanks to the team option being exercised by the Jaguars previously, Jacksonville should be commanding an incredible trade package and nothing less than that this fall. Their bargaining power will decrease once we get to the heart of the offseason.
For now, Ramsey remains the best player in the Jaguars secondary. That being said, this defense did get lit up by the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 1 and the Jaguars are starting a rookie sixth-round pick at quarterback in Gardner Minshew now that starter Nick Foles suffered a broken clavicle.
To put it simply, Ramsey and the Jaguars may not be together much longer. Ramsey might be growing increasingly frustrated with this team and the organization may want him out of the building. However, Jacksonville should only take a king’s ransom for Ramsey if they are looking to deal their star cornerback this fall.