Jalen Ramsey trade: Where will the Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback end up?

Are NFL players on their way to wielding a lot power? After Antonio Brown seemingly forced his way off the Raiders it looked it, then Minkah Fitzpatrick got his way in forcing a trade, and now Jalen Ramsey seems to be next, so it certainly seems it. 

It was first reported Fitzpatrick had requested a trade last week, before the Dolphins played the Patriots, and now he’s a Pittsburgh Steeler, a win for both him and the Steelers. Possibly buoyed by Fitzpatrick’s successful trade request, Ramsey handed his own in after the Jaguars loss to the Texans this week, since citing issues with the front office and not the team or players, and it seems the Jags Thursday night win over the Titans may be his last for the Florida team.

Reports suggest the Jaguars are after at least one first round pick, and in reality want two first round picks to part ways with their All-Pro. That being the case, where could he end up? Here are my five most likely destinations (in no particular order):

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have been one of the most talented rosters in football for several years now, they still are when healthy. However, a fairly consistent weakness has been their secondary, particularly at corner. They’ve been lacking a guy they can trust on a regular basis against a team’s number one receiver.

Trading for Jalen Ramsey would immediately solve that. In football terms, it just makes so much sense. This team may not be the healthiest right now which puts them in a tough spot to compete for a division title, but acquiring Ramsey would absolutely keep them right it the race with the Cowboys.

The Eagles have a front office and head coach who are willing to take risks, they’re willing to maybe go after someone with some character concerns. Ramsey would absolutely qualify as a player the Eagles will go after. The issue is his price.

Not only would the Eagles have to part with at least two high draft picks and maybe a player, they’d have to sign Ramsey to an extension to make it worthwhile. He is under salary for next year – should they pick up his fifth year option – but you can’t give up that much for one and a bit seasons of a player.

The Eagles do have the cap space to make it work, so will they be willing to part ways with two firsts? Or even a first, a second and a player?

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs, almost regardless of their defense, are arguably the best team in the AFC. Pat Mahomes and their offense seem capable of putting up as many points as they need to win any game. If they added a lockdown corner? Boy, this team would be terrifying.

The Chiefs signed Tyrann Mathieu in the offseason at safety, but the rest of their secondary leaves a little to be desired. Like the Eagles they can likely get by without Ramsey with their defense as is, but adding Ramsey completely changes the way they can play.

Ramsey will immediately take away a receiver and make covering everyone else that bit easier. They can blitz with more confidence and let Chris Jones and Frank Clark wreak havoc. Adding Ramsey would absolutely be the piece that could take this team past the Patriots.

The biggest question remains the price. Again, the Chiefs are a team to go after a player like Ramsey, but will they want to part ways with two ones and give up a chunk of cap? They definitely should.

Baltimore Ravens

Of these five teams, the Ravens are the outlier in that they really don’t need Ramsey. At this point he would be an immense luxury, but one that would be terrifying to every other team. What’s more, after the 2016 draft it was reported the Ravens tried to swap picks with the Cowboys to jump ahead of the Jags to draft Ramsey. This team loves him.

The Ravens’ defense and secondary is already arguably the best in the league, and they are without Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young at cornerback. Imagine a secondary of Jalen Ramsey, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson? Opposing QBs beware, because your receivers are covered and the Ravens are blitzing the hell out of you – much like they are now for what it’s worth.

Eric DeCosta is a GM who is not afraid of making a big trade, and Ramsey is such a fit and really takes this defense to another level. However, the price is probably a bigger issue for the Ravens than the rest of the teams. The Ravens won’t be picking high, which means it almost has to be two ones. Will they part way with two ones? The Ravens also have the least cap room of these five teams.

Could they offer a first, a second and a player? Would that be enough? Maybe, but it seems unlikely.

San Francisco 49ers

Imagine a team with Richard Sherman and Jalen Ramsey in the same secondary, every receiver will leave that game with a headache. However, it would take what seems like a solid 49ers defense up a notch into one of the best defenses in the league.

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are in a payoff year. It’s year three, Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy, the offense has weapons and the defense is improved. They need to make a splash this year or they could be on the hot seat. Adding Jalen Ramsey isn’t going to hurt your team on the field.

Is he worth the price? To the 49ers, and every other team, he absolutely is. They have the capital to make this work, and they’re going to need to replace Sherman soon anyway.

Oakland Raiders

Of all these teams, the Raiders are the furthest from ‘win-now’. Even adding Ramsey wouldn’t elevate them to a real playoff contender – in large part thanks to their division – but he would be an identity piece on their defensive backend for years to come.

The Raiders want to be a physical, aggressive team and Ramsey adds that at a position the Raiders don’t have it. It would also allow Gareon Conley to move away from the number one corner role and maybe grow to the level we expected him to. I’ve said it for every team because it’s true for every team, but adding Jalen Ramsey to your secondary will immediately, dramatically in this case, improve it.

Ramsey suits the Raiders so much and the Raiders have the capital. They also figure to be picking higher than the other teams, so they could maybe get away with offering less because their first rounder will be higher.

After Thursday night's win over the Titans I really don't see how the Jaguars can trade him. They're capable of being a good team and you can't let a player of his quality out the door. If they do, it could be a huge step back for a franchise that still has a young and talented team.

When all is said and done, I honestly think Ramsey will be a Chief. Though they have gotten more from their defense than I thought they would, adding Ramsey could be what it takes to lift this defense closer to the level of their offense.  

Either way, Ramsey is not long for Jacksonville, it seems likely he’ll be out of the door before Sunday, and he'll almost certainly be gone after this season. The Jaguars are asking for a lot, but there should be a queue of teams willing to pay the price. It’s shaping up to be a pretty tragic downfall for the Jaguars since their AFC Championship game appearance, but I’d imagine life is about to get a lot better for Jalen Ramsey.