Jalen Ramsey is no stranger to forcing his way off of a team, effectively getting the Jacksonville Jaguars to trade him to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Now, as he sees other star players disgruntled with their situations, he views it as an opportunity.
Aaron Rodgers is the most notable holdout, though he obviously isn’t in the cards for the Rams. The team made a huge splash by acquiring another long time NFC North quarterback earlier this offseason, Detroit Lions’ gunslinger Matthew Stafford.
Four major defensive players around the league are also holding out, skipping their teams’ mandatory minicamps. Three are star defensive backs, like Jalen Ramsey: New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, and Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams.
Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones is also skipping minicamp. It is unclear whether the Rams could make a move for any of these players, with under $7 million in estimated cap space, per Spotrac. That won’t stop Ramsey from trying though.
I see some holdouts lol.. time to do some more recruiting I guess 😂
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) June 15, 2021
There is certainly a range of potential outcomes for these four players. The Seahawks are playing nice with Adams, excusing his absence from the team for “personal reasons,” which means he’ll avoid team fines. He is currently set to play on his fifth-year option with the team, and will be a free agent in 2022 without a new deal.
Jones missed Cardinals OTAs but did attend a team photoshoot. Obviously that is a less significant event than team practices, but is at least some indication that he’d like to remain in Arizona if possible.
Howard, meanwhile, is away from the Dolphins in what is being called a “unique” situation by head coach Brian Flores. Howard is just a few years into a big contract with the team, but is looking to cash back in after a huge 2020 season.
Brian Flores says Xavien Howard is a “very unique” situation in terms of a player asking for a contract renegotiation essentially after one year on new portion of deal. Says it’s never been done before though he’s not “drawing line in the sand” on a new deal.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 15, 2021
Gilmore and the Patriots may be the least surprising here, as he has been at the center of trade rumors for a while. He is entering the final year of his deal, and Bill Belichick says that he doesn’t expect to see him for minicamp.
Whether Jalen Ramsey can work his magic is yet to be seen, but the Rams’ defense probably doesn’t have a ton of room to add another superstar, barring something unforeseen with the team’s financial situation.
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