Sunday's NFL: Rams trading All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey to Dolphins
Miami Gardens, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins are acquiring All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The Rams will get Miami's third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and tight end Hunter Long, according to the people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the deal.
Shortly after news of the trade broke, Ramsey indicated on social media that Miami was his preferred destination.
"I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening! @MiamiDolphins LETSGO!" Ramsey tweeted Sunday.
The Rams went 5-12 last season and missed the playoffs just one year after winning the Super Bowl, and they've have been making changes to their roster this offseason. Los Angeles parted ways with veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner last month after one season.
The Rams traded for Ramsey in the middle of the 2019 season after he spent the first four years of his career in Jacksonville. Ramsey, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, had 77 tackles and four interceptions during the Rams' Super Bowl-winning 2021 season. Last season, he had a career-high 88 tackles and four interceptions.
Adding Ramsey is another step for Miami in rebuilding a defense that had a down year in 2022, by its standards.
After Miami finished last year ranked 18th in total defense, 24th in scoring defense and 27th against the pass, the Dolphins parted ways with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer and brought in former Denver head coach Vic Fangio to lead the defense.
Miami needed to bolster a secondary that was decimated by injury last year and was without cornerback Byron Jones, who the team is expected to release on Wednesday, when the NFL’s new year begins, in a cost-cutting move. Jones missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Achilles surgery last March.
Ramsey is expected to play alongside Miami's Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, who had 45 tackles and an interception in 2022.
Commanders, DT Payne agree on $90M, 4-year deal
The Washington Commanders are keeping Daron Payne around, thanks to the second-biggest contract for a defensive tackle behind only seven-time All-Pro Aaron Donald.
The Commanders agreed to terms with Payne on a four-year contract worth $90 million, with $60 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the contract had not been announced.
Donald signed a contract last year with the Los Angeles Rams that paid him $95 million, with $65 million guaranteed.
Payne led Washington with a career-high 11 1/2 sacks last season. The Commanders put the franchise tag worth $18.9 million on him last month in the hopes of working out a long-term agreement.
The deal was first reported by ESPN.
Payne and fellow Alabama product Jonathan Allen are now each locked up on multiyear deals with Washington, which next must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option on pass rusher Chase Young. The 2020 No. 2 pick missed a vast majority of last season recovering from a torn ACL.
But even after drafting another Crimson Tide defensive tackle, Phidarian Mathis, in the second round last year as a potential replacement, letting Payne walk was not an option. Mathis suffered a season-ending knee injury, and Payne thrived in his fifth NFL season and went to the Pro Bowl.
“Daron is an important part of what we’re doing,” general manager Martin Mayhew said at a season-ending news conference. “He’s always been disruptive. He’s always been in the back field, he’s always been around the ball. This was the first year he really was finishing the way that he finished this year, so he played outstanding football for us.”
Coach Ron Rivera, a retired linebacker, said Payne “fits the formula of what we want to do and how we want to play and (has) the skill set that you would like to have.”
“We think his presence on the football field was outstanding this season, and he did a lot of good things for us,” Rivera said.
Washington’s previous regime selected Payne 13th in the 2018 draft, and he has since made 296 tackles and recorded 26 sacks in 81 NFL games.
The day after the regular season ended, Payne said he knew he was in for a big payday during the offseason.
“It’s like all the work that I put in over the years just finally came to fruition for me,” Payne said. “It’ll be good. I got drafted in the first round, so I already got a lot of cash. It’ll be something nice for me.”
Bills sign LB Milano to 2-year extension in cap-saving move
Buffalo, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills agreed to sign starting linebacker Matt Milano to a two-year contract extension on Sunday, a move that frees up $6 million in salary cap space before the NFL’s signing period opens this week.
The Bills announced the signing, but a person familiar with the contract details confirmed the salary cap savings amount to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills did not publicly reveal that information, which was first reported by ESPN.com.
The extension locks up a six-year starter — who is coming off his first All-Pro season — through 2026, and just as importantly helps ease the Bills’ immediate payroll restrictions. Buffalo is still projected to be about $11 million over the cap, leaving general manager Brandon Beane more work to do before he can begin filling several anticipated roster holes for the three-time AFC East defending champions.
Buffalo is already challenged to re-sign two key returning starters, middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jordan Poyer, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday.
Milano was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft out of Boston College and eventually established himself as a starter during his rookie season. He and Edmunds, drafted a year later, formed a three-down linebacking tandem that helped the Bills finish third or better in the NFL in fewest yards allowed three times in the past five years.
Capable in both run- and pass-defending situations, Milano has eight career interceptions and his 27 tackles for a loss over the past two seasons are tied for third among NFL players over that span.
Personnel dept.
... The New York Jets and linebacker Quincy Williams agreed Sunday on a three-year deal, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The NFL Network was first to report the deal.
The deal is for $18 million, and includes $9 million in guarantees, according to the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the agreement. The person said it could be worth as much as $21 million with incentives.
Williams has been a starter the last two years for the Jets since being claimed off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2021 season. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, but was a free agent priority for New York.
The 26-year-old Williams was a third-round pick of Jacksonville out of Murray State in 2019, the same year Quinnen Williams was the No. 3 overall selection by New York. After two seasons as mostly a backup and special teamer with the Jaguars, Quincy Williams came to the Jets and became a key contributor on defense.
He had more than 100 tackles in each of his first two seasons while starting 28 games with New York, along with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
... Wide receiver Sterling Shepard will remain the New York Giants' longest-tenured player on the roster. A person with knowledge of the contract talks told The Associated Press on Sunday night the 30-year-old Shepard has agreed to a one-year contract at the veteran minimum of $1.16 million.
The Giants had voided the final year of the oft-injured veteran's contract last month. It resulted in a $4.5 million hit in dead cap money at the time.
ESPN was first to report the agreement between the Giants and Shepard.
The 30-year-old wide receiver played in three games this past season before tearing an ACL against Dallas in what seemed a non-contact injury. He had surgery and was a constant at the team's facility as the Giants posted a 9-7-1 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Shepard had 13 catches for 154 yards and one touchdown, a 65-yarder in the season opener at Tennessee. For his career, he has 362 catches for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns, including a career-best eight as a rookie.