On Sept. 15th the Jacksonville Jaguars fan base was not only saddened by a 13-12 loss to the Houston Texans, but also agitated with a Jalen Ramsey and Doug Marrone sideline fiasco. Ramsey revealed to Nate Burselson that the incident wasn’t necessarily the reasoning behind the trade, but he did say some disrespectful things were said to him causing him to walk out from the conversation.
Doug Marrone said he hadn’t spoken with Ramsey since the game, nor did he feel the need to, so the disrespectful words could have come from other higher upset in Jacksonville like Tom Coughlin or Dave Caldwell. Needless to say, Jalen wants out, and he most likely will get his way in today’s NFL.
With that being said, where does he go? Ramsey was quoted in a press conference after the information was revealed that he had requested a trade
“All I care about is winning man, s**t. Everybody knows that. I wanna f***ing win.”
Even with the spark found in Gardnder Minshew, Jacksonville isn’t where Jalen Ramsey wants to be currently, and will have plenty of bidders on one of the best defensive players in the league. The Jaguars are asking for at least two 1st round picks, which sounds like a lot, but considering what Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Frank Clark were worth in trade, I am sure they can find someone willing to put all the chips in the center for Jalen Ramsey.
There is reportedly at least seven teams making inquiries for the Pro Bowl cornerback’s talents; Tennessee, Baltimore, Oakland, Minnesota, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. I am here to discuss the three teams I think would best fit both franchises, winning/money (Ramsey) and assets for the future (Jacksonville), going forward.
First off the obvious
The Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are continuing to steamroll through teams offensively and have to be my favorites to win the AFC this year. Probably their weakest position would have to be cornerback, and could lock up the AFC with adding Jalen Ramsey into the mix.
Earlier I stated that Jacksonville was looking for two 1st round picks in return for their star cornerback. The one thing most NFL teams don’t have though is, Tyreek Hill, and almost as important, a quarterback able to use any receiver as a powerful weapon.
If the Jaguars are looking for the most in return, then they should look for a trade involving Hill and possibly one of the 2nd round picks that Jacksonville is set to own in 2020. And if they really have to, they can rely on their two 2nd round picks and give up Hill and a 1st.
On to my personal favorite
The Baltimore Ravens.
In Week 3 we saw Baltimore and Kansas City battle it out, and though it looked like a wash early on, Baltimore was able to rally and nearly make the comeback against the Chiefs. Throughout the game we saw Mahomes do what he always does, and make 60+ yard touchdown passes across the field with ease, slicing through the Baltimore secondary.
Even with Mahomes throwing for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns, the Ravens still only lost 33-28, and could have be a lot closer if they just kicked their extra points instead. While the Ravens might just be a year or so away from dethroning a contender like the Chiefs in the playoffs, Jalen Ramsey could be exactly what Baltimore needs to force Kansas City to 4th down.
The Ravens only have one 1st round pick in 2020, but could use a player like Jimmy Smith or Brandon Carr to push the deal forward. Not to mention Baltimore owns two 4th and 5th round picks in 2020 that they can use without completely diminishing their draft pool for the future.
On to the highest draft revenue.
The Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders.
This one is a little more long term for Jalen Ramsey, but still would be his most preferred landing spot on this list. Back on Aug. 6th Ramsey told Bussin With The Boys crew, Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, that if he had to pick the place he would play in, it would have to be Las Vegas or Tennessee.
The Raiders not only have three 1st round picks on the table to work with, but they also have an interesting trade piece in Derek Carr too. Jacksonville’s quarterback struggles continued after Nick Foles broke his collarbone on his first play as a Jaguar.
Luckily so far, Gardner Minshew has helped them stay a relative the past few games, but I still doubt Minshew is a true long term answer for the Jags. Carr has had times were he looked like a potential star at quarterback, and he has also had moments of looking like a white Jameis Winston.
Carr or no Carr, the Raiders could still use either or both 1st round picks in 2020 and any of the others have have acquired over the past season to bring Jalen to Las Vegas. Gruden likes players that are not only ballers, but understand the game with a high I.Q., which is exactly the kind of player Ramsey has shown to be.
Plus the Raiders will have nearly $80 million in cap space in 2020, so settling to a contract sounds a lot more palpable in Las Vegas.