The city of Jacksonville is waking up this morning to a reality without Jalen Ramsey in it. Those on the periphery are likely handling the news of the cornerback's trade in different ways. The same can be said inside the organization.
In his first public statement since signing off on shipping Ramsey away from his Jaguars, the team that drafted the corner fifth overall in 2016, to Los Angeles, owner Shad Khan issued a sunny statement about the state of the franchise, with nary a mention of the now-former Jags star defender.
"The Jacksonville Jaguars are doing just fine today," Khan wrote. "I give kudos to our football staff for not only managing this matter extremely well, but giving our team and fans a lot to look forward to in years to come. Credit also goes to our players for their professional approach throughout this situation. It did not go unnoticed. Now it's time to turn the attention again to what's most important -- the Jacksonville Jaguars."
Less than a week ago, Khan had expressed optimism that Ramsey and the organization could overcome their differences, saying the two sides had a "heart-to-heart." But on Tuesday, the aggressive Rams made an offer Jacksonville could not refuse for the unhappy cornerback -- two first-round picks (2020, 2021) and a 2021 fourth-round selection. That was enough to sever ties with the CB, who requested a trade following a sideline spat with coach Doug Marrone during a Week 2 loss.
Ramsey says he's looking forward to playing on his new team.
"I'm excited to get out there and do my thing for the L.A. Rams and show them that they got the best corner in the whole NFL for years and years to come," Ramsey said on UNINTERRUPTED's '17 Weeks' Podcast on SiriusXM/Pandora.
On Wednesday, Marrone wouldn't say whether the trade was worth it or not. Asked if the compensation for Ramsey, a first-team All-Pro in 2017, was fair, the Jaguars coach couldn't answer.
"My son asked me the same question," Marrone told reporters. "I don't know the analytics of all that. So like I said my future self, I'm concentrated on now.
"I'm sure five years from now, 10 years from now someone will be able to write about it. It's not my job to do that. Again I know you guys are probably frustrated but you're talking to a guy that has I'd probably say a big job to get the players ready but we're discussing something that has nothing to do with where my mind is right now, honestly, and I respect the hell out of you guys you know that. I just wish I could give you the insight and the answers that that question needs to be answered. I don't have that. And I wish we could get someone up here that can answer it for them. I do. ... You don't know until down the road."
Marrone's boss, EVP of football operations Tom Coughlin, was a bit more descriptive.
"Given the situation with Jalen, we made this decision based on what we thought is in the best interest of the Jacksonville Jaguars, for this season and well into the future," Coughlin said in a statement. "We feel the trade that we struck with the Rams gives us great value for the next two drafts, and we remain very confident that our team today will compete this season for a division title. Jalen was a productive player, but the time came to move on and we wish him and his family the best in Los Angeles."
Ramsey had not played since Week 3, missing time to an illness, then the birth of his child and finally a lingering back injury. In the three games the Pro Bowl corner missed, Jacksonville went 1-2, surrendering 380.7 total yards and 228.3 passing yards per game. Second-year corner Tre Herndon has filled in Ramsey and will continue to do so from here on out.
How Ramsey's trade will be perceived in and out of Jacksonville in the future will depend on what the Jags do with those first-round selections. But those results won't be gleaned for another four years.
For now, the Jags have a season to finish. Down two games in the AFC South to the Houston Texans, Jacksonville will now embark on the rest of its season without one of the best players to ever suit up for the franchise. It's not the way many Jaguars fans expected the 2019 season to go, relying on Gardner Minshew and a Ramsey-less defense to get back to the postseason.
And yet, here they are.
"You know," Marrone said, "in this league nothing really surprises me anymore."
The Jaguars are on to Cincinnati.
