Jalen Ramsey has found a new home, as he heads to Pittsburgh for the 2025 season. It’s a rare trade that sees the star defensive back get a pay increase, which comes in at $1.5 million. Regardless, the Steelers had to give away Minkah Fitzpatrick for a star secondary player with years of proven experience.
Jalen Ramsey Gets a Pay Raise After Being Traded to the Steelers for 2025
The $1.5 million pay raise might not seem significant, but it’s a substantial amount for someone who was already going to be making $25 million. The Steelers continue to increase their star power on both sides of the ball, as Ramsey joins Aaron Rodgers, a notable player who came to Pittsburgh in the past month. With the 2025 season looming, Mike Tomlin has his sights set on a playoff win and a Super Bowl.
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The #Dolphins and #Steelers have finalized a blockbuster trade to send All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh, sources tell me and @TomPelissero.
Ramsey’s adjusted contract includes a $1.5M raise in 2025 making his salary $26.6M this year. Pittsburgh loads up. pic.twitter.com/hmRehEf4zS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 30, 2025
Throughout his career, Ramsey has made quite a large chunk of money. His rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars totaled four years, $23.35 million. From there, he went across the country to the Los Angeles Rams to sign a massive five-year, $105 million deal. That turned into a three-year, $72.3 million extension with the Miami Dolphins after Ramsey was once the highest-paid cornerback in the league.
Not many cornerbacks have made as much as Ramsey, but it’s clear he’s earned it throughout his career. Looking at someone like Jaire Alexander, who the Green Bay Packers released, he could only get $4 million in a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Alexander, when healthy, has proven to be one of the most dominant cornerbacks in football, which puts Ramsey’s salary in a better perspective.
Ramsey will enter his tenth season in the league as he was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He’s come a long way from being on the Jaguars, but those were crucial years in his career that helped propel him into becoming a $100 million man. In his rookie contract, he totaled 210 tackles and nine interceptions as his 2019 season lasted just three games in Jacksonville.
The 12 games he played in 2019 were the lowest of his career, before he played just 10 games in his first season as a Dolphin. Ramsey suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, which kept him out of the first few games of the 2023 season. Last year, he played in all 17 games. The Steelers know they’ll need him to be healthy to make the most of his contract. At 30 years old, the team still believes he can be a top-tier cornerback.
