Ernest Jones Traded to Titans

[FrantikRam]

Only because Jones and his agent want an extension. Today he was not at camp.

This is an irritating situation to occur two weeks before the opener. It’s seems peculiar that the Rams tell Jones to seek a trade just out of the blue. Do you really think they want him off the books that badly. He’s on a third round rookie deal.

Say the Rams wanted Speights, or Rozeboom to take over at ILB. It would make more sense to have Jones split snaps with the other player throughout the season to ease him into starting. They could phase Jones out by midseason and keep him as security. Trading Jones wouldn’t create a large amount of cap space.

This contract issue is spurred on by his agent and not the Rams.

McVay said today though that he did NOT request a trade. That's both Jones and McVay having said that now.

We also spent a lot of time in camp without him with his iniury - and we know that the Rams are more pro player in these situations than most (if not all) teams.

To me this says it went down this way:

Jones and his camp say they wanted x amount. The Rams talked about it internally and decided we will NOT meet that.

The two sides were likely so far apart, and knowing the injury and potential injury concerns, I bet the Rams went to him and said "we arent going to sign you to an extension, and we won't franchise you. If you can find a team to give you that extension now and they give us at least a (insert minimum pick, probably a 4th or 5th depending on the team) - we will go ahead and trade you. Otherwise you can play out your last year.

 

[dieterbrock]

Where have you been, he picked two weeks before the season starts to hold out for more money and not honor his current contract.

View: https://x.com/JourdanRodrigue/status/1828130381687857245

No hold out
Fully honoring his contract

 

[OldSchool]

View: https://x.com/JourdanRodrigue/status/1828130381687857245

No hold out
Fully honoring his contract

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CubNruSEM8Q

 

[fanotodd]

Agree mostly... no blame here. Both are working with in the system as how it is set up.

Yes, teams can cut a player at any time, but they also hand out up front bonus money and if a player doesn't perform they don't get that bonus back.

A player's agent can push for an extension early and hold out if need be to force that extension. That can be considered a breach of the contract, but it's still business.

In this instance there is no hold out. Seems like everyone is honoring their previous agreement, they are just trying to see if there is any chance for an extension that both sides can live with. Jones side asked for an extension and obviously presented demands that do not interest the Rams or fit into their financial plan. So they simply told his agent to see if he can find a deal that he likes elsewhere.

That's a pretty fair approach by the Rams. Jones can gauge his market and then comeback to the Rams with their newly set market. If the Rams still feel it doesn't fit into their future plans, they can work out a trade if Jones wants that. Or he can sit tight and play out the year and look forward to FA.

I hear what you’re saying. It’s rational and fair if it is indeed being handled that way. We know guys like Higbee and Havenstein were extended that way, and even though we KNEW contracts were up, guys like Kupp and floyd were re-signed without any fanfare or drama.

…so aren’t you just a little curious as to which camp might have leaked this development? Or who was the fly on the wall who blabbed?

 

[RamFan503]

I don't think I've really commented on this thread yet.

My concern when I first heard the Rams were going to wait until after the season to renew extension talks was that either they were not as high on EJ as I was or that (as it sounded) they had too many moving parts at the time to really evaluate it. I still hope for the latter and that is why they gave his reps the OK to seek trade offers.

IMO, he's the best MLB we've had in some time. At the same token, we truly DON'T seem to value the position with this regime. Could it come back to bite us? Certainly. But within our scheme and the difference between Jones and other cheaper alternatives, I just don't see us valuing him as high as many other teams with different schemes would.

If we were to have OS, Hummel, and - yes - Reeder fill that spot, while giving us cap room for more impact players in OUR SCHEME, I'm ok with that.

I'd hate to see him go as I'm a big EJ fan but...

In the end, I like how our organization looks at things and adapts or leads trends. They're not unquestionable but they give me the feeling that they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Bottom line? I'd like EJ to be in horns long term. It'll suck for me personally if that doesn't happen. I'm good with being a homer for current players and what I've seen from this regime.

It is what it is for better or worse.

 

[Ellard80]

Jones is not an exceptional player and MLB isn't what it once was in the NFL.

So just no money there for him - but I can never blame a player for trying to get paid when their contract is lame duck status.

However, he is fighting a losing battle most likely.

 

[AvengerRam]

Dare I say cut?

That makes no sense.

 

[SWAdude]

That makes no sense.

As usual, taken out of context.

Not unusual for you.

All these years you take this to come after me again.

I took a chance and thought you had grown up.

Yes an edit:

I took a break for these forums and can see people just don't know how to have healthy conversations. This is what some people live for and I just want to share. I come after no one. Too many weak people these days.

GO RAMS!!!

Some can go fuck themselves.

 

[rdlkgliders]

Business- Agents & F.O not coaches and players yet

 

[AvengerRam]

As usual, taken out of context.

Not unusual for you.

All these years you take this to come after me again.

I took a chance and thought you had grown up.

Yes an edit:

I took a break for these forums and can see people just don't know how to have healthy conversations. This is what some people live for and I just want to share. I come after no one. Too many weak people these days.

GO RAMS!!!

Some can go fuck themselves.

 

[ottoman89]

This still makes zero sense to me. Seems like Ernest doesn't want traded. Rams only save $3.1mil this year, and creates a weakness on defense.

Let him play his contract out and get a 3rd or 4th RD pick comp pick.

It's damn more than Snead gets trading him knowing him.

Seems like it's going to be a Lose/Lose for the Rams.

 

[FaulkSF]

This still makes zero sense to me. Seems like Ernest doesn't want traded. Rams only save $3.1mil this year, and creates a weakness on defense.

Let him play his contract out and get a 3rd or 4th RD pick comp pick.

It's damn more than Snead gets trading him knowing him.

Seems like it's going to be a Lose/Lose for the Rams.

I don’t see it as lose, lose. I’m wondering if any team will trade a 4th for him. I am guessing a team would sign him to $10Mish per year if he ranks within top 10-15 MLB play. That might net a late 4th round comp equivalency.

Either the Rams trade him and get a low 5th or high 4th, or he plays out the season as a top 10-15 MLB and he nets a low 4 or high 5th comp.

I also see value in keeping him since Speights or Hummel can understudy. If I’m the Rams, I don’t go less than a 4th for that reason.

 

[Loyal]

This still makes zero sense to me. Seems like Ernest doesn't want traded. Rams only save $3.1mil this year, and creates a weakness on defense.

Let him play his contract out and get a 3rd or 4th RD pick comp pick.

It's damn more than Snead gets trading him knowing him.

Seems like it's going to be a Lose/Lose for the Rams.

You will GET a 6th rounder for Jones, and like it! ~ McSnead

 

[ottoman89]

I don’t see it as lose, lose. I’m wondering if any team will trade a 4th for him. I am guessing a team would sign him to $10Mish per year if he ranks within top 10-15 MLB play. That might net a late 4th round comp equivalency.

Either the Rams trade him and get a low 5th or high 4th, or he plays out the season as a top 10-15 MLB and he nets a low 4 or high 5th comp.

I also see value in keeping him since Speights or Hummel can understudy. If I’m the Rams, I don’t go less than a 4th for that reason.

I don't disagree. But we know how Snead trades. I see him as a Top 10 LB easily right now, and he's only getting better. And he's young.

Just really don't see the benefit of moving him now UNLESS they get a rich deal.. which they won't.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Anyone else notice that the 2021 Super Bowl Champions started Troy Reeder for the first 10 games until a rookie LB named Ernest Jones replaced him?

Cue: Omar Speights

 

[Merlin]

I took a break for these forums and can see people just don't know how to have healthy conversations.

Yes sometimes I feel like I never got out of kindergarten. You know @Loyal is the kid eating the paste.

 

[PhillyRam]

I hear what you’re saying. It’s rational and fair if it is indeed being handled that way. We know guys like Higbee and Havenstein were extended that way, and even though we KNEW contracts were up, guys like Kupp and floyd were re-signed without any fanfare or drama.

…so aren’t you just a little curious as to which camp might have leaked this development? Or who was the fly on the wall who blabbed?

Yes no drama because BOTH sides wanted to extend those contracts. In this case the Rams obviously do NOT want to extend him for the amount his reps are asking for. And that's okay. It's a business. And based on the Rams history of being pretty good at keeping these things "in house", I would guess the agents are leaking the story in order to create interest.

 

[AvengerRam]

Yes sometimes I feel like I never got out of kindergarten. You know @Loyal is the kid eating the paste.

Or… maybe some people respond to disagreements by overreacting and making weird comments about some vague unilateral grudge.

Either way, cutting a productive player right before the final season of his rookie contract doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Or… maybe some people respond to disagreements by overreacting and making weird comments about some vague unilateral grudge.

Either way, cutting a productive player right before the final season of his rookie contract doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense.

Okay... hear me out, what if we let his contract expire at the end of the season?

 

[Merlin]

Some notes on the speed of these ILBs as I kick around who they'd go with if Jones is moved...

Jones ran a 4.73 40 time at 239, which is what kept him from going higher. I figure none of these guys now run what they did, and of that group Jones is probably the most slowed by his knee issue, though he does play better than his 40 time due to his anticipation and reading ability. He's very good if he can reach the play of course and reads well inside the tackles.

Hummel is a 4.51, which is good athleticism for a LB at 225 range. At Iowa St he was all over the place, queue up some of those games and very active with range so he's got instincts too. Not gonna look up the cones times but I figure his was quite high. What I don't like is he hasn't been able to break the lineup to this point.

Reeder is a 4.63 and he ran it at 235. I've always said he is too heavy for change of direction, to me if he would lose weight he'd be far better. His height also might work against him on that change of direction idk. But what irks me about him is his inconsistent run fits on top of the other stuff.

Rozeboom ran a 4.70 at 230. He's a solid between the tackles depth ILB but I don't think he has the range to push Jones out. To get the Rams thinking of you instead of Jones there has to be a bit more there.

Speights ran a 4.65 at 229. So he's about like Reeder athletically but on the field seems to change direction better, and moves well laterally. I think he's a guy who probably plays faster than his 40, similar to Jones, and also reads RBs extremely well.

What is interesting overall here is that Jones probably loses a foot race for this room every time, and he's still the best ILB of the bunch. But obviously it feels like it's Speights or Hummel if Jones goes. Maybe even Speights & Hummel for 2024 in base. Could be that is disrespectful of Rozeboom and Reeder, but I think that duo would give us very good range and tackling if they can stay healthy.