There is a growing belief that Jalen Ramsey may have played his last game with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, but one very influential person within the organization would prefer not to see the star cornerback leave. That person would be the owner.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan would rather sign Ramsey to a long-term extension than trade him, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Friday. Khan supposedly “loves” Ramsey and would be willing to make him the highest-paid cornerback in football, but the relationship between Ramsey and other members of the organization could be damaged beyond repair.
From @gmfb: #Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey may have played his last down in Jacksonville with trade talks looming… but it’s worth noting that owner Shad Khan loves him and wants to pay him. pic.twitter.com/hBNXsD42hX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2019
Rapoport later added that Ramsey’s issues are more with executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin than head coach Doug Marrone.
From @gmfb: More on #Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey, whose issues are far more with Tom Coughlin than Doug Marrone. Meanwhile, the Jags are willing to pay Ramsey, who knows he'll get paid big-time regardless. pic.twitter.com/SLVG2eNd45
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2019
“This is not about Marrone,” Rapoport said. “It’s about management — Tom Coughlin and others. That is a situation that doesn’t seem like it can be handled and fixed, but we simply don’t know.”
Coughlin was given total control over personnel decisions when he was hired by the Jaguars, so he will likely have the final say over whether Ramsey stays or goes. Even if Ramsey’s primary issue is with Coughlin, it doesn’t seem like his relationship with Marrone is all that strong. Ramsey shoved the coach during last week’s game and the two had to be separated during a sideline altercation, which speaks for itself. Ramsey also had a blunt assessment of Marrone’s job security when the Jags were struggling last year.
The Jaguars have placed a high asking price on Ramsey, but there will likely be teams willing to pay it. He seems destined to be traded, even if Khan is a big fan.
