Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan wants to retain disgruntled cornerback Jalen Ramsey and is willing to extend a huge offer despite the All-Pro’s request to be traded, according to a report.
“(It’s) worth noting that the owner Shad Khan loves Ramsey, would be willing, from what I understand, to pay him and make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL as soon as he possibly can,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Friday. “There is a lot of love here. So, for the Jacksonville Jaguars to part with Ramsey, they’re going to have to be convinced, overwhelmed that it’s the right move.”
Ramsey is earning $3.6 million this season, and the Jaguars picked up his $13.7 million fifth-year option for 2020. Miami’s Xavien Howard and Washington’s Josh Norman are cornerbacks who have five-year deals worth at least $75 million.
Rapoport added that despite a Week 2 altercation between Ramsey and coach Doug Marrone on the sidelines, Ramsey’s beef wasn’t with Marrone but with members of the front office.
Ramsey, who turns 25 in October, was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He hasn’t missed a game in his pro career.
On the “Uninterrupted” podcast this week, Ramsey told host Nate Burleson he requested a trade because of the way he was treated by the team after last Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
“Some disrespectful things were said on their end that made me definitely walk out and call my agent as soon as I walked out,” Ramsey told Burleson. “I said, ‘It’s time. My time is up here in Jacksonville.’ I said, ‘I want to ask for a trade.’ I was truly at peace, like I wasn’t in a mindset of making a decision while I was angry. I was completely calm. I still stand by that decision to ask for a trade.”
He made those comments before Thursday night’s 20-7 win against the Tennessee Titans. Ramsey made nine interceptions.