A surprise trade for Rams’ Jalen Ramsey could manifest in the coming months, perhaps bringing the star corner to the home of the latest Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
This offseason, the Los Angeles Rams are looking to unload cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Ramsey’s hefty contract in return for a load of draft picks. Are the Kansas City Chiefs a serious trade partner?
Per NBC Sports’ Peter King, the Chiefs could be “interested” in Ramsey and may be willing to fork over their first-round pick in a potential trade. King projects that the Rams could get a low 2023 first-round pick for Ramsey, making the Chiefs along with the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys possible suitors.
My projection is the Rams could get something between a low first-round pick this year (Dallas, Buffalo and Kansas City could be interested, and pick between 26 and 31 overall) and a package of picks.
Any suitor would likely have to sweeten the pot with a few other picks (King suggests a second-rounder and fourth-rounder).
A Ramsey trade would come down to how badly the Chiefs want the former All-Pro cornerback, and based on Kansas City’s roster decisions in the last few years, they probably don’t want him bad enough.
Jalen Ramsey to the Kansas City Chiefs is a strange but feasible trade
For one thing, the Chiefs would have to take on Ramsey’s contract, which has a cap hit of $17 million in 2023. The 29-year-old has developed an elite reputation as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, particularly excelling in man coverage; most teams’ secondary units would experience a boost in production with an addition like Ramsey, it’s just a matter of restructuring his deal.
Aside from the contract specifics, Kansas City has already invested plenty in its cornerback unit, drafting three talented rookies last season. Rather than give up draft capital for an aging veteran like Ramsey, Kansas City may be better off extending cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who posted a career-best campaign in his third season on the Chiefs this past year, and continuing to fortify the unit with more young talent in the 2023 NFL Draft.
No one can fault the Rams for trying to deal Ramsey. Los Angeles hasn’t had a first-round draft pick since 2016 and the Rams have a solid enough core that the team can rebuild without him.
However, the Chiefs will probably be heavily criticized if they try to go after Ramsey given Ramsey’s undesirable contract and their own roster needs. Kansas City still needs defensive reinforcements — they just don’t really need Ramsey.
