The Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping the somehow keep Jalen Ramsey. If he has to be dealt, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns are among the teams expected to be frontrunners, according to numerous sources around the league.
That isn't to say that either team is all that close to making a deal. As ESPN's Josina Anderson pointed out, almost every team in the league has inquired about the defensive back. Because the Jags are hoping to hold onto the star defender, it's hard to know exactly how close a deal is to coming down the pipe.
Forcing their hand
Ramsey suited up and played for Jacksonville during their game against the Tennessee Titans last Thursday. After the victory, it's safe to say some Jags fans thought everything was all better. The defensive back has made it clear things aren't fine, though he's been a bit sneakier about it than say, Antonio Brown.
Instead of taking to Twitter to voice his concern, Ramsey called in sick. According to Adam Schefter, Ramsey called the team on Sunday night and told them he wouldn't be practicing on Monday because he wasn't feeling well.
Due to being sick, Jaguars’ CB Jalen Ramsey will not practice today, nor maybe this week at all, per sources.
Ramsey still wants to be traded; Jaguars want to keep him. Standoff continues.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 23, 2019
Schefter adds sources close to Ramsey say he might not practice at all this week.
The defensive back has said he has the flu. While that illness can be hard to overcome quickly enough to play football in a matter of days, eyebrows are being raised around the league because of already hinting he'll be out for the entire week, on Sunday night.
Schefter also pointed out the situation has become a standoff as he wants to be traded.
The Jacksonville Jaguars want to keep one of the best players in the NFL.
Kansas City, Cleveland named among the top landing spots
Late last week, the NFL Network weighed in on where their analysts thought Ramsey is going to end up. Ian Rapoport says the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks are thought to be the top five.
While the Miami Dolphins recently dealt Minkah Fitzpatrick for the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2019 first-round draft pick, Rappoport is saying the Jaguars are looking for even more than that. The question has then turned to who would be willing to pay that price.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been reported to have been willing to deal their first-round pick for Fitzpatrick but they lost out to Pittsburgh because the Steelers' pick is coming earlier in the draft. The question for Chiefs' fans is just how much KC is willing to pay.
The same can be said for the Cleveland Browns. Their starting corners are very young, and the team has been said to be looking for more veteran leadership in that unit. Some have said with the Browns season not starting off the way they expected, the team might be less willing to offer a king's ransom for Ramsey, who would be a great addition, but not a game-changer, as the team's offense has been the bigger concern.