JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jalen Ramsey has left the Jaguars because of the impending birth of his second child, and the team has no idea when he will return.
That news, which the team announced Wednesday night, is just the latest strange turn in Ramsey's impasse with the franchise, and it might very well mean that Ramsey has played his last game for the Jaguars.
"Months ago in the offseason, Jalen notified me that he was expecting the birth of his second child in late September," coach Doug Marrone said in a statement. "We spoke about this recently and again today after practice and decided that it was best for Jalen to fly to Nashville tonight after meetings to be with his family during the birth of their daughter. He will return to the team when he's ready, and we will provide an update at that time."
Ramsey's agent, David Mulugheta, tweeted that he appreciated the Jaguars letting Ramsey leave, thanking Marrone and writing, "Jalen wouldn't miss this moment for anything."
Wednesday night's news could mean Ramsey, 24, has played his final game with the franchise that drafted him fifth overall in 2016. Jaguars owner Shad Khan does not want to grant Ramsey's trade request, according to league sources.
Ramsey made that request 11 days ago after being chastised by Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin following the Jaguars' 13-12 loss at Houston on Sept. 15. Ramsey got into a sideline shouting match with Marrone after Marrone refused Ramsey's request to challenge a completion to Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Ramsey played against Tennessee last Thursday but did not practice Monday because of an illness. He also missed Wednesday's practice with a back injury, which created its own drama. Three hours after Marrone said he didn't know when Ramsey suffered the injury, the team released a statement saying Ramsey actually did report back soreness to the team's medical staff during the fourth quarter of the game against the Titans.
After Ramsey sat out Wednesday, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that it is considered unlikely that he will play Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Earlier Wednesday, Marrone said he thought Ramsey would be able to play against the Broncos "if he has the ability to play."
As for Ramsey's back injury, Marrone described it as tightness.
"It's normal; his back has gotten tight before," Marrone said. "My back's tight, a couple of guys' backs are tight. A couple of guys have hamstrings. Everyone gets this stuff."