Jameis Winston Says He'd Take Pay Cut to Play with Jalen Ramsey

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston revealed that he would love to play with former Florida State teammate and exciting NFL prospect Jalen Ramsey.

He would even take a pay cut to do so. 

“[Florida State] definitely have the best player in the world in Jalen Ramsey,” Winston told Mark Cook of PewterReport.com. “People talk about his position. But Jalen is the best cornerback, safety… I will take a pay cut to play with him again. He has a fierce mentality. And the best thing about him is he is a Seminole! I have already shot [Bucs general manager Jason Licht] some texts.”

Winston offering high praise of Ramsey is nothing new. He also spoke about the defensive back in glowing terms in December.

“He’s good enough that we probably won’t even get him,” Winston told Charlie Campbell of Walter Football (via Cook). “That’s just one thing to talk about, his competitiveness, and his mentality to always want to be great. That is something that is going to take him a long way.”

Indeed, the Bucs likely won't land Ramsey unless they make a dramatic trade to move up the board. He is thought to be in consideration for as high as the top overall pick to the Tennessee Titans and seems like a pretty safe bet to be a top-five selection. 

The Bucs, meanwhile, own the No. 9 pick. And that's well below where a player of Ramsey's talent and versatility is likely to be selected.

“He can do anything he wants to do really," Winston added. "He's so talented in [so] many ways. He can be a lockdown corner for you like a Richard Sherman, or he could be a safety-corner hybrid like Charles Woodson. This guy is very talented and has a lot of ability."

Ramsey was dominant in his three seasons at Florida State, totaling 181 tackles, 22 passes defensed, five sacks, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. His combination of size, athleticism and instincts makes him as close to a "can't miss" prospect as there is in the 2016 class and a player that Winston clearly wants to play with again.

It probably won't happen in 2016, barring a trade. But perhaps Winston is laying the groundwork for the Buccaneers to someday land Ramsey as a free agent. 

If Ramsey ends up being as good at the next level as Winston expects, he may well indeed need to take a pay cut for the Bucs to afford his former teammate.

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