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ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped a bomb this morning when he tweeted that “some around the league” believe that Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donald will not play another down on his existing contract:
There is a belief from some around the league that, no matter the fines or the effect on his free agency, Aaron Donald will not play another down on his existing contract. In other words, his holdout is likely to last until a new deal comes along.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2018
Yesterday, a report surfaced that the Rams are prepared to make Donald the highest paid defender in the NFL whereas his agent wants AD99 to get paid like a quarterback.
Just got confirmation. SOURCES: L.A. @RamsNFL offering @AaronDonald97 4 yr. $21M per making AD highest paid D player in NFL history. AD’s agent “insulted” by offer. He’s looking for north of $25M per for AD which is QB $$. Not going to happen, nor should it. #MobSquad #SignAD99
— Eric Geller (@ericsgeller) July 25, 2018
With numbers starting to leak, one could assume that there is some frustration. If the report is true, it seems someone wants to paint AD and his representation as a greedy group. However, one could also point at the Rams for being stingy with the best player that the franchise has had since the days of Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner.
Remember, this Rams front office regime is the same group that cut up two years of contract and gave WR Tavon Austin a huge extension, rewarded EDGE Robert Quinn with 2 years of contract left, paid WR Brandin Cooks before playing a down, and just extended RB Todd Gurley at a position that has been devalued over time.
While there are certainly frustrations on both sides, let’s hope for cooler heads to prevail and a fair deal is struck between the Rams and Donald.
The Turf Show Radio crew talked about Donald’s contract on last night’s show: