Jaguars’ Ramsey: My trade request still stands
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone chuckles when asked about Jalen Ramsey’s illness and back injury. (1:03)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It doesn’t look like the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be able to repair the relationship with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who reiterated on Thursday that he still wants out of Jacksonville.
In the latest episode of Uninterrupted’s “17 Weeks” Podcast on Sirius XM/Pandora, Ramsey said he has lost respect for the franchise and that’s not something he believes he can get back.
“I’m not sure if I’ve played my final game for the Jags yet or not but my trade request still stands,” Ramsey said. “For me, respect is a huge thing. I kinda touched on it a little bit last week in last week’s podcast but once respect is lost for both parties I think it is time to part ways.
“I’m going to continue being a top corner in this league for years to come. The money will come, but money isn’t everything. Peace and happiness means a lot more than the money.”
Ramsey has made it clear that he doesn’t believe he’ll find that in Jacksonville.
That’s why he treated the Jaguars’ 20-7 victory over Tennessee on Sept. 19 as if it was his final game with the franchise that drafted him fifth overall in 2016. He called it an emotional night — especially because he didn’t know if he would be cheered or booed — and spent a few moments after the game hugging several teammates, including cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and D.J. Hayden.
“We were just kind of living in the moment, sinking in the moment of, man, if this was the last one it’s been an honor to play alongside those guys,” Ramsey said. “It’s been a good ride; it’s been a fun few years playing alongside those guys. So we were kind of just sinking in the moment and just enjoying that win at the time.”
It doesn’t appear the Jaguars will be parting ways with the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback any time soon, though, because league sources say owner Shad Khan does not want to trade Ramsey. The trade deadline is Oct. 29.
Marcus Spears contends that the Jaguars need to move on from Jalen Ramsey because there is no turning back after his trade request.
It has been an interesting week for Ramsey and the Jaguars. Ramsey did not practice Monday because of an illness — Ramsey said on the podcast that he threw up “at least four times” and needed IVs — and also missed Wednesday’s practice with a back injury. However, that wasn’t without some drama. Three hours after coach Doug Marrone said he didn’t know when Ramsey suffered the injury, the team released a statement saying Ramsey actually did report back soreness to the team’s medical staff during the fourth quarter of the game against the Titans.
Ramsey isn’t with the team now, either. He left Wednesday to return to Nashville for the birth of his second child. In a statement announcing Ramsey’s departure, Marrone said Ramsey would return “when he’s ready.”
Ramsey missed the first week of training camp in 2018 for the birth of his first child.