MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Ramsey's value was already known among his Miami Dolphins teammates and coaches shortly after he arrived last offseason.
Now the Dolphins have rewarded him for it.
Entering his second season in Miami, Ramsey earned a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the agreement.
“Ever since I’ve gotten here, I feel like it’s been a great relationship, it’s been a growing relationship,” Ramsey said. “They’ve learned a lot about me, who I am not only as the player but the person. And same, I’ve learned a lot about them and how real they are."
NFL Network first reported the deal that will pay Ramsey $24.1 million per year and make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, reached just days after the Denver Broncos signed their star cornerback, Patrick Surtain II, to a four-year contract extension.
The $24 million-per-year average on Surtain's deal vaulted him past Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21.025 million) and Green Bay cornerback Jaire Alexander ($21 million) as the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL. Ramsey said once Surtain reset the cornerback market, his team and the Dolphins were able to find a benchmark that made him the league's highest-paid defensive back for the second time in his career.
The deal was settled a few days ago, Ramsey added, but he wanted to wait until he returned to the field to finalize it. A hamstring injury had sidelined the All-Pro cornerback for the past few weeks and kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. He returned in a limited capacity Friday.
“I just felt like it wasn’t right to have it out there and me not be out there on the field with the guys,” Ramsey said, "so just tried to hold it for a few days.”
The Dolphins acquired Ramsey in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams last March. He suffered a knee injury early in his first training camp in Miami and missed the first half of the 2023 season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He returned to have three interceptions, five pass breakups and 22 tackles in 10 games.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has described Ramsey as the “ultimate chess piece” that the team can move around the field to maximize his impact, which has been felt since he entered the NFL as the Jacksonville Jaguars' fifth overall pick in 2016.
Ramsey has 474 career tackles, 22 interceptions, six forced fumbles and 97 pass breakups.
Coach Mike McDaniel, confirming Ramsey's extension Friday, said the seven-time Pro Bowler immediately embraced a leadership role when he arrived in Miami, which has been beneficial for both him and the team — even when he isn't on the field.
“The real leaders and real influencers on a football team don’t have to play to positively affect their teammates,” McDaniel said.
Ramsey was listed as questionable for Sunday's opener against Jacksonville. With another game four days later against Buffalo, he and the team want to be smart with his return.
“I’ve never dealt with hamstrings, so it’s completely different for me,” Ramsey said. “I can be feeling good, but they (the training staff) know. They know how certain things go, and they know how I can go out there and push it to the limit, and I may not need to push it to the limit at certain points.”
Ramsey joined several other Miami players who signed extensions this offseason, including receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back Raheem Mostert.
Star receiver Tyreek Hill also agreed to a restructured contract that raised his four-year total of fully guaranteed money to $106.5 million, and the Dolphins made quarterback Tua Tagovailoa their highest paid player when they gave him a four-year contract extension in July worth $212.4 million.
In addition to locking in their star players, the Dolphins last month extended McDaniel through the 2028 season, hoping he can lead Miami to its first playoff win in 24 years.
Ramsey, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams after the 2021 season, was named a captain by his teammates for the 2024 season, along with Tagovailoa, Hill and veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell.
“Elite players, there’s several of them in the league that have that captain mentality,” McDaniel said, “and when you have that captain mentality and are a competitor that wants to dictate the terms, you have a rise in everyone’s competitiveness. And that’s an overall win for the Miami Dolphins.”
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