Why a Jalen Ramsey to Seahawks trade does not make sense

The Seahawks NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams, appears to be making major offseason changes. One of these might include trading Jalen Ramsey. According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Rams have had talks about moving Ramsey, and Pelissero’s sources believe it’s “likely” that Ramsey is traded.

The issue for Los Angeles probably isn’t that Ramsey has digressed as a player but that Los Angeles is trying to create cap room. For years, Los Angeles has traded high-round draft picks in return for quality veterans. But eventually, that means having to pay those players.

Los Angeles has already announced they will be releasing former Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. That will save them about $7 million. The Rams are currently $15 million under the cap for 2023. That is with quarterback Matthew Stafford’s cap hit being only $20 million next season. By 2024, Stafford’s cap hit moves to $49,500,000. Currently, the Rams are already $19 million in the negative for 2024 so making moves now are really with an eye on the future.

Seahawks trading for Jalen Ramsey is unlikely

Jalen Ramsey is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and is paid like it. His cap hit in 2023 is $25,200,000 with a dead cap of $32,100,000 so he can’t really be released like Wagner was. In 2024, Ramsey’s cap hit is $26,700,000 but his dead cap falls to a more manageable $11,400,000 but the Rams can’t even really afford that either.

Why care all about this if one is a Seahawks fan? The reasons are two-fold. If the Rams do trade Ramsey outside of the division then that means the Seahawks don’t have to face him twice a year. That’s a great thing.

The other major reason a 12 should care is that the Seahawks are one of the teams with enough draft cap to trade for Ramsey and enough cap room to pay him. Imagine a world where Ramsey is the cornerback on one side of the field while Tariq Woolen is on the other. This pairing could last over several seasons, not just one. How much would that change how good Seattle’s defense is and, therefore, how much closer Seattle is to being a Super Bowl contender?

If Seattle offered the Rams a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft (one of the two Seattle has) and a second-round choice, would that be enough? Los Angeles doesn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft currently. Would Ramsey be worth getting if giving up that draft capital? Likely.

But here is why it most likely won’t happen. Why would the Rams help out the Seahawks or any other intradivision team? Los Angeles wouldn’t want to face Ramsey twice a season as much as the Seahawks don’t want to do that now. Still, for now anyway, it is nice to think about Seattle trading for Ramsey and signing Wagner in free agency and maybe drafting Jalen Carter in the draft. It won’t happen, just like the Ramsey-to-Seahawks trade won’t, but it’s nice to dream.