Minnesota hasn’t been publicly linked to Ramsey, but he would instantly erase uncertainty about the Vikings’ cornerback depth in 2025.
One of the biggest things the Minnesota Vikings have to prove in 2025-26 is that their cornerback room will be as talented and deep as it was last season, considering they let Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin leave in free agency this year.
The uncertainty with the position group is what makes news out of Miami that star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is likely to get traded this summer so intriguing. Rumors have been swirling for weeks, but defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver spoke to reporters on Wednesday and made it clear that the Dolphins are moving forward without their All-Pro cornerback.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ramsey,” Weaver said. “He played very good ball for us, but relationships are hard, right? He’s chosen to go other ways and I respect and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
According to ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe, Ramsey could be traded after the calendar flips to June. That’s when the Dolphins’ 2025 dead cap hit for trading Ramsey drops from $25.2 million to $6.7 million, according to Over The Cap.
“This isn’t about a guy who wants more money or a guy who can’t play anymore. This is just a situation where relationships are hard and the relationship between the Dolphins and Ramsey has essentially run out,” Wolfe said. “I expect him to get traded at some point in June or July. They have talked to a lot of teams. I’m told the Dolphins are aware of teams that Ramsey would be interested in.”
Wolfe mentioned the Rams, Falcons and Panthers as teams that could be interested due to Ramsey having good relationships with coaches on each team’s respective staff. It’s unclear if the Vikings have picked up the phone, but Minnesota could use an elite cornerback and they certainly have the cap flexibility to find a way to make Ramsey’s contract fit.
Ramsey signed a three-year, $72 million deal prior to last season, but it only came with around $24 million guaranteed. Any team acquiring him in a trade would be taking on roughly $21 million in guaranteed salary, unless they can get the Dolphins to eat some of it to facilitate a deal. His contract has future cap hits of $25 million, $27 million, and $36 million, but because they aren’t guaranteed, he could be cut after June 1 in 2026 or 2027 and his dead cap hit would only be $6.7 million (per Over the Cap). The Vikings or any other team acquiring him could treat it like a one-year rental.
$21 million still isn’t a small number, but the Vikings are working with J.J. McCarthy’s rookie contract and that gives them flexibility. Currently, per Over The Cap, the Vikings have $14.2 million in cap space. They could make a trade happen with some slight restructures, and Ramsey — who turns 31 in October — would instantly erase the uncertainty in Minnesota’s cornerback room.
As it stands now, the Vikings are going to battle with Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, Jeff Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern as their top five cornerbacks.
Murphy made the Pro Bowl last season; Rodgers is an arrow-pointing-up free agent acquisition the Vikings are very excited about; Blackmon is a 2023 third-round pick returning from an ACL injury; Okudah has played for three teams over the last three seasons after Detroit selected him third overall in the 2020 draft; McGlothern was an undrafted training camp standout in 2024.
“The idea of going after a guy like Ramsey is absolutely an interesting one, given the position the Vikings find themselves in,” said Vikings On SI beat writer Will Ragatz. “They’re in win-now mode with a rookie quarterback contract and only one semi-obvious weakness on the entire roster, QB uncertainy aside. If there’s a chance to address that weakness by going out and getting a seven-time Pro Bowler who is still playing at a very high level, it feels like something they have to at least consider.”
What would it take to get Ramsey in a trade? Giving up high draft picks for a 30-year-old cornerback with a big contract seems unlikely, especially considering there’s a chance that Ramsey’s talents slip with age. The draft-pick cost would likely depend on whether or not the Dolphins eat any of the guaranteed money on his deal.
The Vikings have never been publicly linked to Ramsey, but with questions in the cornerback room and a player of his caliber up for grabs, it would be crazy to not at least look into the idea of adding him to a roster as loaded as Minnesota’s.