The Las Vegas Raiders need a lot of help in their defensive backfield, and Jalen Ramsey could be a perfect addition in 2023 and beyond.
The off-season has officially begun, and the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to have a busy one. All eyes are going to be on what they end up doing with former quarterback Derek Carr. It recently came out that they have officially started to explore trade packages for him to see what his market value might be.
They have until February 15th to find a suitor before they are forced to cut him completely in order to avoid his contract guarantees.
What they get for him is mere speculation at this point, but he is expected to return one or more premium draft picks. For a team that has holes on both sides of the ball, draft picks are a prized commodity. Another option draft picks give you is being able to trade them to pick needy teams for players who in fact can fill those holes.
We saw the Raiders do just that this last off-season when they acquired all-star wide receiver Davante Adams.
Currently this year the Raiders have nine picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, with more to come via compensatory picks and whatever they may get in a potential Derek Carr Trade. By that estimation they should have 10+ picks this year, which would give them plenty of ammo if they so decided to go get any players already on NFL rosters.
One such name that has popped up recently for many reasons is Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Since being traded to the Rams, Ramsey has continued his domination as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Over the last few years, the Rams have traded away most of their premium picks in order to stack their roster with premium players. That in turn has given them quite the depleted amount of picks this year.
With news that the future of current head coach Sean McVay is in limbo, the Rams could very well be in fire sale mode in order to start some form of a rebuild. That’s why I think it would be a premier time for the Raiders to be aggressive and try to go after Jalen Ramsey with the plethora of picks they currently have. Here is a potential trade package that might entice the Rams to deal the 5x Pro Bowl defensive back.
Potential package for the Las Vegas Raiders to land Jalen Ramsey
What would it cost?
The first step is figuring out if the Rams are even interested in trading Ramsey. They say everyone has a price, but is that a price that both sides can agree on? There is no doubt that the Rams would most likely want a decent return on their investment if they were going to trade him.
I think with the situation that they are in, they may be willing to knowing that his value will most likely not get any better than it is currently.
The way his contract is structured too is another piece of the puzzle. As it stands if he was traded pre-June 1, he would have a dead cap hit of 19.6 million and the Rams would only save 5.6 million. The price of trading him over the price of keeping him when you’re going to owe it regardless, makes your price point a little more expensive.
The Rams currently only have two picks in the top-100 at 37 and 70. They also don’t pick until 168 after that, with 5 out of their total 7 coming in the 6th and 7th round. If they are in fact having to rebuild, it’s better to start now then later. Especially when you’ve already succeeded with your all-in approach by winning the Super Bowl.
In my opinion there’s a 50/50 shot they could want too much for Ramsey and no trade will go down. But we’ve seen trades where many thought “seems like they could’ve gotten more”, just because the team trading the player realized things were imminent. This might very well be one of those situations.
Potential package for the Las Vegas Raiders to land Jalen Ramsey
Package #1
This would obviously be best case scenario for the Raiders in regard to having to give up draft capital. There is a feeling that the Rams would probably want more for him, but at 28 and with the massive contract he has, they may be willing to get what they can. Gut reaction says, “no way they don’t get a 1st or more for him”.
While that may be the case, the Rams could very easily turn two 2nd round picks into a first if they really needed to move up. On top of that, the Top-40 of the draft are all considered first round talent and having two of the top 40 picks is still very valuable.
They are going to need to make a decision on that relatively quickly in regard to the NFL season officially starting. As of March 22, 7.5 million of his 2023 salary will be fully guaranteed. While that’s not a lot in comparison to his contract, that can definitely be the difference between landing someone in free agency or not.
Potential package for the Las Vegas Raiders to land Jalen Ramsey
Package #2
I feel like something along these lines where 3+ picks are involved is more likely what would be needed, especially if no 1st is involved. Ever since we saw how the Carson Wentz to Washington deal was structured, it has had me very intrigued about picks that can be deemed conditional depending on whatever parameters are assigned to it.
Including the two from this year, the Raiders would be forfeiting a 2024 4th round pick that would be conditional, under the option of upgrading to a 3rd round pick based on the Raiders ROI. Carson Wentz’s involved playing 70% of the snaps in the 2022 season because of his injury history.
They could do some form of a snap percentage as well since Ramsey has injury clauses that guarantee parts of his salary, like we saw them protect against with Derek Carr. It could also involve performance milestones like making the Pro Bowl.
2023 NFL Draft: Should the Raiders trade for the No. 1 overall pick?
Following a disappointing season, the Raiders are slated to pick seventh overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, should they look to move higher?
Las Vegas would get back a 2024 5th round pick really just more so as a fluff to the deal, essentially pick swapping the 4th and 5th but also giving the Rams the ability to get a little extra out of the deal if in fact Ramsey plays like the player they were trading for in the first place.
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