There was never much question about Jalen Ramsey’s impact once he strapped on a Dolphins helmet. Even with a knee injury in his first year, he piled up 22 tackles and snagged a massive three–year, $72.30 million contract extension the very next offseason. Year two? Even better. 60 tackles and yet another Pro Bowl nod. But behind the scenes, tension between the cornerback and the Dolphins kept shimmering. He skipped minicamp, sparking chatter that respect was fraying between him and Coach Mike McDaniel.

“I don’t personally … give a sh—t about what I feel,” McDaniel didn’t bother sugarcoating when Ramsey’s trade talks dragged on when asked whether he was surprised by the delay. It was that kind of relationship between the head coach and the 7x Pro Bowler. Finally, GM Chris Grier chimed in and made things official. “(We) felt that after numerous conversations and then talking last week with Jalen and his agent that it was best to move forward and it was the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and for Jalen Ramsey,” Grier said.

Fast forward to now, and the Dolphins have traded Jalen Ramsey, along with tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick, to the Steelers. The writing was already on the wall. It just took some time to make it permanent. And now? Well, if you’re thinking that the 30-year-old corner has a soft spot for his former team, think again. Right after that trade went down, Ramsey hopped up on his Instagram and shared a story.

His message? Well, the 7x Pro Bowler didn’t pen down a lengthy emotional or goodbye message. Instead, he shared an image of his black cap with a smiley emoji grabbing the spotlight, like a silent taunt after locking down a trade with the conference rivals. But if you zoom in on the image, you’ll find that Ramsey is embracing the Steelers’ black and gold colors, ditching the Dolphins’ blues.

And it makes sense. Let’s face it—when the Dolphins traded for Ramsey a couple of years back, McDaniel practically rolled out the red carpet. He called him the kind of player and leader the Dolphins could build around, and you could tell he meant it. “Since he’s been here, it’s almost felt mutually purposeful in that Jalen saw a different level of player and leader this team could benefit from, and so he seized that,” the head coach had said.

Fast forward a couple of years, and their relationship has become… well, beyond repair. According to FinsXtra on ‘X’, “Jalen Ramsey and Mike McDaniel do not see eye to eye, and their relationship is said to be irreparable.” That was the moment that confirmed that Ramsey’s time in Miami was over. The cornerback wanted it, so did the Dolphins. The result? Ramsey is in Pittsburgh now. With a happy, smiley face.

How will Jalen Ramsey fit in the Steelers’ secondary?

Coming from a wild-card loss earlier this season, the Steelers were optimistic about updating their secondary. And you could feel the energy right after the free agency kicked off in March this year. They grabbed Darius Slay fresh off a Super Bowl win. Cut to the present, and they doubled down when they snagged Jalen Ramsey after his broken marriage with the Dolphins. While folks out there weren’t on board with the Steelers trading for Ramsey. But here we are.

And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise in Pittsburgh, making his 2025-26 salary $26.6 million. But the big question: with Slay already in the Steel City, where does Ramsey fit in the Steelers’ secondary?

Ramsey is one of the best outside corners in the league ever since he entered the pros. The corner has started all games in his career but one (134), and piled up 534 tackles and 24 interceptions. But the way things are shaping up, Pittsburgh is likely to use Slay and Joey Porter Jr. on the outside while Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott are expected to be at the safety positions, given that Minkah Fitzpatrick is gone.

That means the addition of Ramsey in the secondary allows the Steelers to use him as their slot corner. Sure, the 30-year-old cornerback is not your permanent slot corner. But he did play 185 snaps in the slot for the Dolphins last season. He has size, speed, ball skills, and tackling ability to maybe give it a try at the safety position at some point in his career as well. But in the meantime, expect the Steelers to use Ramsey as their slot corner.