Dolphins sign Jalen Ramsey to massive extension
The Miami Dolphins have signed Jalen Ramsey to three-year extension that will likely restore his standing as the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Ramsey, who is beginning his second season with the Dolphins, which acquired him from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2023 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long, was reportedly given a three-year extension, which will pay him $72.3 million.
According to the NFL Network, Ramsey’s new deal features $55.3 million in guaranteed money.
“It’s always important to feel valued, get paid for all your hard work, dedication and sacrifice,” said Ramsey, one of Miami’s eight team captains.. “It’s money. I got kids. My kids are happy and my family is happy.
“Ever since I’ve gotten here it’s been a great relationship, a growing relationship,” Ramsey continued. “They’ve learned a lot about me, not only as a player, but as a person. I’ve learned a lot about them, how real they are, the men and women around this organization.”
Ramsey’s deal comes after the Denver Broncos made Patrick Surtain II the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, giving him a five-year deal worth $122.5 million, which included $77.5 million in guaranteed money.
Surtain’s deal averages out to be $24.5 million a season, and Ramsey’s extension averages out to $24.1 million a season. However, that’s likely not the average salary for his entire deal.
Ramsey had been held out of practice for the past three weeks with what was supposedly a hamstring injury. The hamstring injury has kept him from practicing this week (with Friday being the lone exception), which raised concerns about his availability for Sunday’s 1 p.m. season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But it’s quite possible that his injury was part of a hold-in to force Miami’s hand and will lead to a miraculous recovery from the seven-time Pro Bowl selection, who will turn 30 at the end of October.
“I always want to play football,” said Ramsey, who practiced on a limited basis Friday. “That’s one thing you all should have learned from me last year. Any timelines I get I try to break them.”
Even before the extension, which changed void years in his contract to real money, Ramsey was the second-highest paid player on the team, falling just behind quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. This summer the Dolphins converted $13.9 million of Ramsey’s salary and an $11 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, and then added three void years to his contract, which expires in 2025, to create almost $20 million in cap space.
The expectation is that Ramsey, a former Florida State standout, who happened to be the first cornerback in NFL history to land a $100 million contract, will be signed through the 2028 season.
He was previously slated to earn $19.5 million in 2025, but none of that figure was guaranteed. While the exact terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, his 2025 salary is likely guaranteed now, and it’s possible that a major portion of his 2026 salary will be as well. That’s how elite players operate when the guaranteed portion of their contract has concluded.
This offseason Ramsey became the fifth Dolphins players to sign an extension, joining Tagovailoa, receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and tailback Raheem Mostert. And head coach Mike McDaniel was also signed to an extension this week.
Miami made Tagovailoa one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, locking him into a five-year contract that averages $47 million a season. Hill signed an extension that will pay him $30 million a season, and Waddle will earn $21.8 million a season, which makes him one of the NFL’s 12 highest-paid receivers. Mostert, the Dolphins’ lead back for the past two seasons, signed a one-year extension that will pay the 32-year-old tailback $4.13 million in 2025.
“I’m happy with everything we’ve done organizationally this offseason because I think it fits what we’re about,” McDaniel said referencing Ramsey’s new deal.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
