As of now, it looks like neither the Colts nor Rams will have their best players available to them Sunday. Andrew Luck already being ruled out may precede the Rams making a similar announcement regarding Aaron Donald‘s status.
The All-Pro defensive lineman is currently back home on the east coast, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting (on Twitter) both sides tried to reach an agreement but remain apart. The Rams will conduct their first game-week practice of the season Wednesday, and that workout won’t include Donald, further pointing to the dominant defender missing Week 1.
Donald and the Rams met last week but were “not close” to an extension agreement. Sean McVay did not declare a deadline for Donald reporting and being given a green light to suit up for Week 1, but the superstar interior defender would have a harder time immediately resuming game action this season compared to in years past.
Wade Phillips‘ new defensive scheme calls for the all-world three technique to play defensive end in base sets. While Donald would be a welcome addition and help Los Angeles’ cause, it wouldn’t be a seamless transition like it would have been had this scenario played out a year ago.
The Rams have Donald under team control through 2018 for roughly $10MM, and this setup has created rumors of Donald continuing his holdout well into the season — despite the prospect of missing out on game checks.
Trade him to the Bears. They can throw in gramma as well as a couple of picks
Trade him Green Bay.