NFL rumors: Lions continue recruiting superstar trade candidate

Detroit Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs is the latest member of the team to recruit a superstar who just became available in trade talks.

The Detroit Lions appear to be out of their rebuild and ready to make a push into playoff contender status. That was evident this past season, as they finished with a 9-8 record and just barely missed out on a playoff spot. Entering the 2023 league year, the Lions have $23.4 million in cap space and two first-round picks in the NFL Draft to work with to further bolster their roster. The team is in a position to make a big move, and some players have a preference on who the team should bring in.

This past week, a report from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero informed the NFL world that the Los Angeles Rams have had trade talks about Ramsey, and a deal is expected to happen in the coming weeks.

Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs took to Twitter to make a recruiting pitch to Ramsey.

Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs recruits Jalen Ramsey to Detroit

Jacobs isn’t the only Lions player to make a pitch to Ramsey. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown recruited the Rams corner on a recent episode of his podcast with Chicago Bears wide receiver and his older brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, for The 33rd Team.

“Jalen, if you can hear this, I know you played with [Jared] Goff before, Detroit might seem like a landing spot for you, my guy,” said St. Brown. “Talk to me. Talk to me.”

Ramsey responded to St. Brown’s recruiting pitch on Twitter, saying that he tried to get the Lions in the playoffs this past year, in reference to Detroit’s playoff-clinching scenario that a Rams win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18 would have helped the Lions secure a Wild Card spot. As for the pitch, Ramsey said “I won’t comment on my future,” but ended the tweet with “we shall see.”

The Lions have been brought up as a potential landing spot for Ramsey. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler mentioned on “SportsCenter” on Sunday that when he spoke with teams about the Ramsey trade calls, the Lions were brought up “fairly often.” Lions general manger Brad Holmes previously worked with the Rams as a scout and director of college scouting, so there’s a connection there.

Ramsey played in all 17 games for the Rams this past season, where he recorded 88 combined tackles (64 solo, 24 assisted), 18 passes defended, four interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. In coverage, Ramsey allowed 57 receptions for 659 yards and five touchdowns on 91 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

Jacobs is now the latest Lions player looking to bring Ramsey to Detroit. As Ramsey said in his response to St. Brown, we shall see where Ramsey ends up playing in the 2023 season.