The Miami Dolphins made a mistake. Chris Grier knows it, and there is little to nothing he can do to rectify the situation.
Jalen Ramsey and the Dolphins agreed to seek a mutual trade. Reports prior to the draft indicated that Ramsey didn't ask for a trade, didn't complain about being in Miami, and didn't ask for more money. So what happened?
The problem for Miami is that they have put themselves in a big hole they can't get out of. Trading Ramsey would make their difficult salary-cap situation even more challenging.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Dolphins would likely have to eat a significant amount of Ramsey's remaining salary to get a deal over the line.
"So, at that point, you'd be looking for the Dolphins to take on a chunk of the money to essentially 'buy' a draft pick as part of the deal to offload Ramsey and his guarantees," writes Breer.
Dolphins might have no choice but to take a significant dead cap hit by trading Jalen Ramsey
It would be a long-term move but would give the Dolphins even less salary-cap flexibility in the short term.
Some have said the Dolphins asked him to reduce his salary. Grier denied that. For some reason, "both" sides agreed to seek a trade. What we might know is that Mike McDaniel and Ramsey do not get along.
Teams know Ramsey isn't likely to return to the Dolphins, so they can play hardball with negotiations, and there is nothing Grier can do. Any team can do the same. Why? Because teams may like what they can get from Ramsey, but none of them really need him. He is a luxury to a roster.
Grier, from the start, messed it all up. He let it get out publicly, and now, there is little he can do but to take the best offer possible, move on, and eat nearly $24 million.