The Los Angeles Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey last week from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a deal that some in the NFL compare to the type of transaction now typically seen within the NBA. Ramsey sought a trade from the Jaguars over several weeks and the Rams finally traded their 2020 first round pick along with first and fourth round picks in 2021.
“The NBA is coming to the NFL,\" said Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff. \"This [the Ramsey trade] is a similar case to those NBA deals.
“Prior team-building formulas, where you basically had guys for their careers, is pretty much over,” he said. “Think of the guys who’ve moved in the past year. Khalil Mack. Marcus Peters. Jalen Ramsey. Jarvis Landry. Laremy Tunsil—”
Bill Polian believes the younger generation of general managers are more transactional.
“I think this generation of GMs might be a little more transactional,\" said Polian. \"It used to be not many GMs thought about taking risks. They were from a generation where their parents might have grown up in the Depression, or remembered the Depression. Life was hard enough without taking risks. Today, the idea that you can make these decisions and change your team quickly is inculcated in this generation. I’m not sure of that, but it seems to be true.”
There have clearly been a spike in trades this season.
2009: 39 trades in the calendar year, involving 50 players. Seven traded players were Pro Bowlers at least once.
2019: 54 trades (with eight days left in the period), involving 69 players. Thirteen have been to at least one Pro Bowl.
