The Pittsburgh Steelers secured an AFC North championship season with Jalen Ramsey, but a trade could unlock significant financial flexibility.
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey last offseason and benefited from the deal. They could trade the veteran defensive back this offseason and again benefit from a deal.
The Steelers acquired Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Ramsey was disgruntled in Miami, and the Dolphins were happy to ship him out of town.
Ramsey found happiness in Pittsburgh and was even willing to move from cornerback to safety when the Steelers needed to reshuffle their secondary because of injuries early in the season. As a three-time first-team All-Pro cornerback, Ramsey gained praise from his teammates and the coaching staff for being selfless in making the position switch.
Ramsey held his own as the Pittsburgh went 10-8 and won their first AFC North title since 2020 before being smashed by the Houston Texans in a wild-card playoff game. The 10-year veteran tied a career high with 88 tackles and registered the fourth and fifth sacks of his career, though he had only one interception.
Pro Football Focus graded Ramsey 47th of 91 NFL safeties with a 64.4 mark. However, he scored much higher in run defense (81.2) than in pass coverage (58.8). The coverage grade is enough to make one wonder how much the 31-year-old Ramsey has left.
Ramsey doesn’t seem to fit into new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme, as he has rarely played two high shells. Furthermore, the temperamental Ramsey forged a strong bond with former coach Mike Tomlin and may not have the same kind of relationship with new coach Mike McCarthy.
The most attractive aspect of trading Ramsey to Pittsburgh is that it would gain salary-cap space. Ramsey’s cap hit in 2026 is $19.5 million in the final year of his contract, and it would come off the books if he is traded. The Steelers already have almost $45 million in cap space, and an extra $19.5 million would give them even more room to remake the roster in McCarthy’s image.
Granted, it would be difficult to trade an eight-time Pro Bowler. However, Ramsey has been dealt three times in his career, which says something about him, and it’s not necessarily good. The Steelers would certainly gain some benefits by trading Ramsey.
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