Rams defender Michael Brockers fully supports Aaron Donald’s desire for a raise and has no problem with the possibility of him holding out in training camp.
“At the end of the day, that’s our brother,” Brockers told SiriusXM. “We’ll go to war with him and for him. We respect any decision. He deserves it. You look at the record, being the most dominant defensive tackle in the league, and he’s just making all these phenomenal numbers and stuff like that. And, obviously, pay the man. Obviously. He’s put in him some major work for this team and I think he deserves it.”
Donald is slated to have a $3.225MM cap number in 2017 before his salary jumps to $6.892MM in 2018 under the fifth-year option. A new deal for Donald will likely reset the market for defensive tackles and he wants it now, not next year. The 26-year-old has managed 28 sacks during his first three years in the league and last year graded as the NFL’s No. 1 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Despite losing defensive tackle Calais Campbell and safety Tony Jefferson this offseason, the Cardinals are still the team with the best chance of challenging the Seahawks for the NFC West crown, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia opines. The Cardinals still have question marks, including their passing game and pass protection, but the playmaking ability of David Johnson gives them a chance at making some noise in the division.
- Was the Alex Smith trade a good deal from the 49ers‘ perpsective? Smith is not an elite quarterback, but he has become a great game manager with Kansas City and the Niners watched Colin Kaepernick decline from 2013 onward, Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith’s completion percentage was also much higher than Kaepernick’s over the last few years. Still, the trade worked out for the Niners, Lynch argues, because the second-round pick they got in the deal was flipped in order to net five draft picks instead. One of those picks turned out to be Carlos Hyde, the team’s top running back.
- Will the Seahawks miss the playoffs in 2017? Click here to tell us which 2016 division winners will fall short this year.
I wonder if Brockers would be calling for Donald to take a pay cut if he didn’t perform to the salary he’s making.
I see the Rams making the horrible decision by not paying Donald. You have a key guy at a very key position. What’s the problem here? Pay the man!