No surprise here, but Aaron Donald is not with the Rams as they begin training camp this week. This now marks the second straight season in which Donald has stayed away from the club in July. 
Donald will be subject to fines for missing the team’s mandatory practices, but his strategy could pay off in the long run as he pressures the team for a market-setting extension. The 27-year-old is gunning to become the league’s highest-paid defender and it’s hard to argue against him when looking at his performance. The defensive tackle has earned four straight Pro Bowl nods and three straight first-team All-Pro honors. Last year, he was extremely productive despite missing two games and finished out with eleven sacks from the interior and a career-high five forced fumbles.
This week, Donald watched two other high-profile teammates secure massive extensions of their own. First, wide receiver Brandin Cooks agreed to a five-year, $80MM+ deal with upwards of $50MM guaranteed. Then, Todd Gurley moved the needle for running backs with his four-year, $60MM extension. Donald may be frustrated by the Rams’ decision to prioritize others over him, but it’s unlikely to prevent a deal from coming together.
For what it’s worth, the Rams have expressed optimism about getting a deal done this summer.
“I think when you build stadiums like this, it’s with players like Aaron Donald in mind,” Rams COO and VP Kevin Demoff said recently. “And we’ve been at this process, working with them for the past year and a half to try to make sure that Aaron is not only here for the opening of the stadium but plays well into his years. And that he can play in the 2022 Super Bowl in his own home stadium. So we’re working on it and we’ll keep pushing forward. The dialogue’s been great. It’s been positive. I think [Donald] and coach [Sean] McVay have a terrific relationship. We look forward to getting this done. And putting Aaron in the place where he should be among the highest-paid defensive players.”
I love this picture
Possibly the best photo they have in their database
The Cooks and Gurley contracts seem rather ridiculous especially since this man has not yet been paid.
I don’t think it’s ridiculous to spend the big bucks on players who have been very productive and are potential game changers. The Bears ended up giving Mike Glennon something like 18.5 million for 250 snaps and 1 win…that was ridiculous.
Trade him, trade him, trade him. I can’t say this enough!! Get what you can for him now!! Don’t give this man the money he is looking for, it would be absolutely stupid. The defense is fine without him.
So your idea of making the team better is to trade away the most dominate defensive player in the league? It would a mistake rivaling the one the Eagles made when they let Reggie White go to the Packers.
On paper.