If the Washington Commanders want to be Super Bowl contenders on more than paper, there needs to be some room for ruthless moves.
One of those moves should be to move quickly and see if there’s a way to bring 7-time Pro Bowl cornerback and 2-time NFL All-Pro Jalen Ramsey to Washington via trade after NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Ramsey and the Miami Dolphins were looking at trade options.
“The #Dolphins and seven-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he played elsewhere in 2025, per me and @TomPelissero,” Rapoport wrote on his official X account on April 15. “Miami and Ramsey, due $25.1M fully guaranteed this season, could be parting ways … While there is no firm deadline on a possible trade, with the NFL Draft 9 days away, completing a trade prior to the draft would make sense — if only so Miami can use the pick or picks they would acquire for Ramsey.”
Getting Ramsey would require not just one move but likely a series of moves. The first of those would be freeing up salary cap space to get Ramsey and his $25.1 million salary on the books — which would likely mean cutting veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore and saving $16 million in salary cap space.
Then, there’s what Ramsey brings back in a trade. In this case the Dolphins want a draft pick, which the Commanders only have 5 of this year. In this case, Ramsey would still be worth giving up their 2025 fourth round pick (No. 128 overall).
The Dolphins would also likely want a player in return for Ramsey. Lattimore might be an option, as could second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
What the Commanders Would Get in Ramsey
Ramsey was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Florida State and has been one of the NFL’s dominant cornerbacks over the last decade.
While he might not be in his prime any more, Ramsey likely has a few seasons left of being a dominant NFL cornerback — he also helped the Los Angeles Rams win a Super Bowl following the 2021 season.
This would be the third time that Ramsey has forced his way off a team. He forced a trade to the Rams in 2019 and became the highest paid defensive back in NFL history when he signed a 5-year, $100 million contract extension in September 2020. The Rams traded Ramsey to the Dolphins in March 2023 and he signed a 3-year, $72.3 million contract extension in September 2024.
Ramsey has $118.2 million in career earnings headed into the 2025 season.
Commanders Made Big Move for Lattimore in 2024
The Commanders made a big move to get Lattimore at the 2024 NFL trade deadline, giving up a 2025 third round pick, 2025 fourth round pick and 2025 sixth round pick in exchange for the 4-time Pro Bowl cornerback and a 2025 fifth round pick.
It’s hard to say Lattimore has been worth what the Commanders gave up for him. He only played 2 regular season games due to hamstring issues and didn’t have an interception in 5 games including the Commanders’ run to the NFC Championship Game.
