Jalen Ramsey ‘Changed His Whole Legacy’ Leaving Jaguars for Rams, Says Former NFL GM

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A former NFL general manager believes Jalen Ramsey “changed his whole legacy” by leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 season. 

The anonymous NFL GM told The Athletic’s Mike Sando:

Sometimes you have beliefs you are adamant about, and then things happen and you look back and change your opinion. I thought Ramsey was a complete jerk, what he did to get out of Jacksonville. You know what? He changed his whole legacy. He has a chance for the Hall of Fame, he might win a championship. If he was stuck in Jacksonville, you never would have heard of him. You might not like how he did it, but if that was your nephew and we were advising him, that is what we should have advised him to do, right? What about the quarterback of the Rams? Should Stafford have done that five years earlier? He has all the talent. What was he missing? Wins.

Ramsey requested a trade from the Jaguars in September 2019 after getting into a sideline argument with then-head coach Doug Marrone during a loss to the Houston Texans. He explained on the UNINTERRUPTED podcast 17 Weeks that he requested a move because he was frustrated with “the front office and the organization.”

Ramsey has had a great two-and-a-half seasons with the Rams thus far, but he really excelled in 2021. He finished the regular season with four interceptions, 16 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 77 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit. 

Ramsey agreed to a five-year, $100 million extension with the Rams in September 2020. He has been a key piece of the team’s top-tier defense alongside Aaron Donald.