Jalen Ramsey just broke the mold like it's never been broken before. The former first-round pick has reportedly been awarded a historic contract extension by the Los Angeles Rams, his agent confirmed to Adam Schefter of ESPN, making Ramsey the highest-paid defensive back in the history of the NFL. The extension is five years in all and lands at a whopping $105 million in maximum value, averaging $21 million per year. He'll also receive $71.2 million at signing, another historic mark for the position, and blowing away the competition in the process.
For contrast, the Buffalo Bills recently awarded cornerback Tre'Davious White a four-year extension worth $69 million, making Ramsey's money at signing more than White's entire max value, if the reported numbers hold up. The deal in L.A. is also more than $4 million higher on average annually than that of Darius Slay with the Philadelphia Eagles, who led the cornerback pack in that category, and the guaranteed money blows past that of Byron Jones -- who the Miami Dolphins gave a historic $54.38 million in guarantees during the 2020 free agency spree in March. And as far as safety compensation comparisons go, there are none worth mentioning here.
Needless to say, Ramsey is pleased, and took to Twitter to celebrate.
A former fifth-overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, Ramsey burst onto the scene as one of the best cornerbacks in the business, and has since landed three Pro Bowl nods and honors as First-Team All-Pro, following a first year that saw him named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Following a toxic relationship with the Jaguars, the team granted his trade demand and sent him to the Rams last season in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick. That's quite the haul but Ramsey is quite the talent, and the de facto No. 1 cornerback on the roster.
Despite his 2019 season having been slowed by injury, Ramsey has 243 combined tackles (213 solo) and 10 interceptions in his four-year NFL career. The 25-year-old entered training camp confident a deal would eventually get done in Los Angeles and, only days ahead of their Week 1 battle with the Dallas Cowboys, he was proven correct.
And in a very big way.
