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ESPN- Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.
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ESPN Staff Writer- Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to trade star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins for a 2023 third-round pick (No. 77 overall) and tight end Hunter Long, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.
The trade will be processed Wednesday, when the 2023 league year officially begins.
Ramsey tweeted his excitement for the trade Sunday, writing: "I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it's happening! @MiamiDolphins LETSGO!"
Ramsey has three years remaining on that contract. As part of the trade, the Dolphins agreed to guarantee the next two seasons on Ramsey's deal, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network.
Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, is largely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and joins another former All-Pro in Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard.
Miami has aggressively built its roster over the past year, also trading for All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Pro Bowl linebacker Bradley Chubb.
The Dolphins had a need at cornerback after informing Byron Jones he would be released when the new league year begins and made multiple salary cap-clearing moves over the past week, restructuring the contracts of Hill, Chubb and Terron Armstead.
After this trade, the Dolphins hold four picks in the 2023 draft: one each in the second, third, sixth and seventh rounds.
The Rams pulled off a blockbuster trade for Ramsey in 2019, sending first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and a fourth-rounder in 2021 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Los Angeles signed Ramsey to a five-year, $105 million contract extension less than a year later, which was the largest ever at his position at the time of the deal.
Ramsey was the only player of that core Super Bowl-winning Rams group not to sign a contract extension or reworked deal last offseason. Ramsey ranks third at the position in AAV ($20 million), behind Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander ($21 million) and Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward ($20.1 million).
By trading Ramsey before June 1, the Rams will take on $19.6 million of dead money on their 2023 salary cap with $5.6 million of cap savings.
Ramsey becomes the third notable defensive player jettisoned by the Rams as they work to get under the salary cap. The Rams previously had mutually parted ways with linebacker Bobby Wagner and released pass-rusher Leonard Floyd.
Ramsey was the third-highest-ranked cornerback in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished the season with 4 interceptions, 18 passes defended, 12 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. His four interceptions tied his career high.
In seven seasons, Ramsey has 19 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. He was named first-team All-Pro in the 2017, 2020 and 2021 seasons.