Since entering the NFL in 2016, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey has been one of the league’s most prolific trash talkers.
As the three-time All-Pro cover man gears up for his first Super Bowl appearance on February 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, here is a look back at some of his most memorable moments with his peers.
Ramsey vs. Steve Smith: ‘I Don’t Respect Aim as a Man’ (2016)
In the third regular season game of his career, Ramsey was already talking trash to 16-year veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. The highlights came after the game, though.
Ramsey did not hold back during the postgame interviews, calling Smith “an old man” in one statement.
What do you think? You tell me. Any time I lined up on him — y’all go watch that. Y’all tell me who got in whose head. He came up to me after the game. He’s an old man acting like that.
Ramsey also accused Smith of avoiding him on the field, and he said he did not respect him as a man.
Yeah. I noticed that throughout the game a little bit. If you go back and look he’s lined up away from me. It is what it is. As a player, he’s still a good player. I’ll say that about him. I don’t respect him as a man though.
Ramsey vs. A.J. Green: ‘Soft’ (2017)
Ramsey and former Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green got into an altercation on the field in 2017.
When Jalen Ramsey isn’t matched up on DeAndre Hopkins — who else is excited to see A.J. Green and Jalen Ramsey go at again?
Remember this:
After the game, Ramsey gave some background of what led to the fight.
I told him almost every play that he was weak. that he was soft. He just couldn’t handle the truth. It’s facts. I told him that his time is almost up. I was just out there spitting facts to him.
Ramsey vs. Every QB: GQ Interview (2018)
In a 2018 interview with GQ, Ramsey talked trash about nearly every quarterback in the league at the time.
He called Josh Allen “trash”:
I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback.
He said Joe Flacco sucks:
And just being honest about it, [Joe] Flacco sucks. I played him two years in a row. He sucks.
He said former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was average:
Jared Goff, he’s average to above average. He reminds me of Jimmy Garoppolo a little bit. Year one, he wasn’t good. He wasn’t even good enough to earn his own starting role. Like, if you the number one pick, you expected to start now. Period. He wasn’t ready to do that. He wasn’t able to do that. Then when he did get in, he didn’t really do that good.
According to Ramsey, Dak Prescott is “okay,” but the Dallas Cowboys are Ezekiel Elliott’s team:
He’s alright. He’s okay. I’ll put it that way. [Ezekiel Elliott] runs that team though. Everything runs around Zeke.
He would not call Eli Manning good:
Eli [Manning]… It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell [Beckham, Jr.]. I won’t say Eli’s good, I’ll say Odell’s good.
He said playing against Ben Roethlisberger disappointed him:
Big Ben [Roethlisberger], I think he’s decent at best… It’s not Big Ben, it’s [Antonio Brown]. Big Ben slings the ball a lot of the time. He just slings it, and his receivers go get it. He has a strong arm, but he ain’t all that. I played him twice last year, and he really disappointed me.
He had similar feelings toward Andrew Luck.
Andrew Luck—I don’t really think he’s that good.
Finally, he described Matt Ryan as “overrated.”
I think Matt Ryan’s overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year, you a complete bust, and you still got Julio Jones? There’s no way that should ever happen. I don’t care.
Ramsey vs. Rob Gronkowski: ‘I Don’t Think Gronk’s Good’ (2018)
A couple of weeks after the GQ interview, Ramsey made a bold statement about tight end Rob Gronkowski in an interview with ESPN’s Mina Kimes.
I don’t think Gronk’s good. Registering my involuntary blinking, he course-corrects. “Let me say — I don’t think Gronk is as great as people think he is.” Before the Patriots game, he explains, he had the Jaguars’ analytics staffers pull some numbers for him. “Any time Gronk has been matched up with a corner, he’s had a very bad game — and that corner has had a very good game.”
Ramsey faced Gronkowski and the New England Patriots not long after that statement – a 31-20 Jaguars win in Week 2 of 2018. Ramsey showed no concern about matching up against the tight end.
I don’t fear no man, period. So he’s going to have to come out there and line up on me. Or however it goes.
Ramsey vs. Tyreek Hill: ‘Return specialist’ (2018)
When asked about matching up against wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Ramsey downplayed Hill’s abilities as a wide receiver, and instead, repeatedly called him a “return specialist.”
He’s good for what he does for their team. He made All-Pro as a return specialist. Let’s get that right, as a return specialist his rookie year. He went to two Pro Bowls as a return specialist. Two years, I made All-Pro in my position as a corner. Went to the Pro Bowl as a corner, so it’s not a wide receiver vs. corner matchup.
Jalen Ramsey responds to Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill challenge. #jaguars
Ramsey vs. D.J. Reed: ‘They Can Go to Cabo’ (2021)
After the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West title earlier this season in December 2021, cornerback D.J. Reed remarked that he is going to need his hat and a shirt.
Following the Rams’ victory over the Seahawks in the Wild Card Round, Ramsey referenced Reed’s comments.
They can take they hats and t-shirts to Cabo! … They can go to Cabo for the rest of the off-season.
.@JalenRamsey with some off-season vacation recommendations… 👋
Ramsey vs. Bears Fans: Darnell Mooney (2021)
Some Chicago Bears fans edited Darnell Mooney’s Wikipedia page to say that Mooney was Ramsey’s father.
Ramsey was quick to respond:
“Can’t wait til week 1 so all these lame a** Bears fans can stfu about they number 2 wr,” Ramsey wrote in a May 2021 Instagram story, via Daniel Greenberg.
Ramsey and company ultimately did win the Week 1 matchup. Mooney was held to only 26 receiving yards, while Ramsey had 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a pass defended.
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Jalen Ramsey Trash Talk: The Best Moments From the Rams Cornerback