On a weekly podcast hosted with his brother, Chicago Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown discussed the results of the Super Bowl, Amon-Ra’s first Pro Bowl experience and what the siblings were most interested in seeing unfold during the upcoming free-agency period.
Outside of the traditional mid-March frenzy, Amon-Ra’s intrigue was centered around a quarterback market still in flux. He acknowledged wanting to see where recently released quarterback Derek Carr would ultimately land and whether division rival Aaron Rodgers would be on the move following his darkness retreat, where he’s disconnecting from the outside world while weighing his future, after spending the past 18 seasons in Green Bay.
Amon-Ra also used the segment, recorded for “33rd Team,” to lay some groundwork on the recruitment of a player who isn’t a free agent, but is rumored to potentially be on the chopping block: Los Angeles cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
“I’m curious to see about (Rodgers), Carr and I keep seeing these Jalen Ramsey (rumors), (that) they might release him or however that’s going to work,” Amon-Ra said. “Jalen, if you can hear this, I know you played with (Lions quarterback Jared) Goff before, um, Detroit might seem like a landing spot for you, my guy. Talk to me.”
The comment led to some playful banter between the brothers, with Equanimeous chiming in, “He doesn’t want to go to Detroit, from LA to Detroit. He doesn’t want to do that.”
The Ramsey speculation is centered around comments made by Rams general manager Les Snead earlier this offseason, about needing to potentially clear some big contracts and start rebuilding a more economical roster through the draft.
“We’re probably going to have to not press the gas as much, pay a little bit of the debt that we’ve accumulated,” Snead said. “As you do some of the things that we’ve done, you’re going to push some of that down the road.”
The Rams famously went all-in, acquiring big names in the pursuit of their 2022 Super Bowl title, which, in many ways, started with trading a pair of first-round picks to Jacksonville to acquire Ramsey in 2019.
But following a $100-million contract extension for the cornerback in 2020, plus big-money deals for Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford — who the Rams snagged in a trade with Detroit in 2021 — the team is facing the need to trim more than $15 million just to get under the cap, ahead of the start of the new league year in March.
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Still, the idea they’ll outright cut Ramsey, who is due a $17 million salary in 2023 (plus $18.5 million and $19.5 million in 2024 and 2025), is unlikely. At 28 years old, and coming off a sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance, there figures to be a decent trade market for the three-time All-Pro.
So much so that Ramsey recently tweeted, “100% chance I won’t get cut.”
The Lions, like most NFL franchises, could certainly use a player of Ramsey’s caliber in the secondary. Most observers have projected the team to add a cornerback in the early rounds of the NFL Draft, but none of those prospects would be a sure thing like the Rams’ star. That said, swinging a blockbuster trade to add a star would be outside general manager Brad Holmes’ approach to roster building since taking the job in 2021.
Regardless, Amon-Ra’s comments directed at Ramsey haven’t gone unnoticed. Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons echoed Equanimeous’ reaction with a shot at the city of Detroit.
“I’m sorry no one going from L.A. to Detroit,” Parsons tweeted with laughing emojis.
But Ramsey himself wasn’t so quick to mock the possibility.
“LOL, much love to Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown,” Ramsey said. “Tried my hardest to get y’all in them playoffs this year. I won’t comment on my future (though). We shall see.”
Ramsey, of course, was referencing the Rams’ regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks, where he had two interceptions in a game that would have sent the Lions to the postseason had the Rams won. Instead, they lost in overtime, 19-16, giving Seattle the final playoff spot in the NFC.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers