UPDATE - Aaron Donald Contract Extension - SIGNED

[Rams43]

There are only so many ways this AD contract thing can end.

1. Rams and AD work things out, everybody is happy, and AD plays in ‘22. Best case scenario, of course.

2. AD holds out for a while, possibly even a few games. THEN an accommodation is reached and AD plays. Rams are still a SB contender here.

3. AD retires. He loses a fortune in future earnings, torpedoes his off-field marketing strategy in it’s infancy, alienates coaches, teammates, and fans. Plus he will have to pay back literally millions in advanced bonuses, etc.

4. Rams can’t work things out with AD and trade AD for a boatload of future picks. Rams are still competitive in ‘22 although no longer a SB favorite. But Rams can reload quickly with those future high picks together with a much reduced cap.

In all but one of the above scenarios Rams come out smelling like a rose even in the trade scenario long term.

If AD does retire he shoots himself in the foot on multiple levels. Even in that scenario Rams own his rights for 3 more years as his prime physical gifts slowly dissipate AND Rams save literally tens of millions off their salary cap. Money that would be invested in other quality players via FA, no doubt.

How can anybody claim that Rams are not holding the better cards here and have supreme leverage? C’mon…

I know that some have fallen in love with the player but not me. I learned a long time ago that team always comes before player. ANY player. Always…

 

[Merlin]

How can anybody claim that Rams are not holding the better cards here and have supreme leverage? C’mon…

Nice post. Losing him would suck but I think people are forgetting how good McVay is in all this. Donald didn't win shit before McVay came aboard. There's some players like him in league history who were great but never won shit because they didn't have a coach like him.

McVay is the franchise. I hope the Rams leadership never loses sight of that.

 

[MachS]

I'm ok with paying him top dollar, but the multi million dollar question is, what amount does AD truly want. If he wants to be on the heels of say, the top paid QBs, he's smoking fucking crack at that point. Hopefully cooler heads prevail and we can sign him which is really what most of us want. The divide is really showing if AD is breaking the bank so bad, it fucks the cap up for any FAs to be or adding more talent.

It’s ultimately about guaranteed $$ but I’d be shocked if it ends up only being $30m/year. That would be a no brained imo.

ADs not stupid, this is all a negotiation tactic. No way he's going to ask for QB money or $40M+. He wants to win another SB, thats all he's playing for at this point. Doesn't make sense to handcuff the team that much. But $14M sure ain't gonna cut it. Hes worth double that at least. McVay said today in his presser that 'things are trending in the right direction ' so we'll definitely get it done. I am zero percent worried tbh. My guess is $30M-$32M for the next couple years.

 

[tempests]

Doesn't feel like we're at the point of needing to trade him. Relationship between player and team is still strong. I know McVay isn't always transparent, but he doesn't seem worried.

I was under the impression an extension is what the Rams front office wants too.

 

[simonblaze]

Pay Donald what he wants for the next 2 years to capitalize on our window to possibly repeat and then let him write off into the sunset...To let this generation's LT/Reggie White go while he's in his prime would be absolutely INSAAAANE...

Yes, we weren't superbowl champs until we got Stafford...also, we don't win those games we needed to win (TB, SF, CIN) WITHOUT Donald to be SB champs...Does anyone remember how GOD awful our pass rush looked without Donald in the game vs GB in Goff's last year?

 

[Merlin]

But $14M sure ain't gonna cut it.

Thing is his cap hit this year is over $26M. The $12M difference is already in his pocket with that signing bonus but the Rams gotta eat it as a hit this year so to say he's only making $14M is kind of misleading.

He is worth double that $14M. But that's roughly what he's making already and the Rams are on the hook for $23M for two years after that.

This is him wanting to get paid 3 years early because TJ Watt reset the market.

 

[Ellard80]

would be pretty stupid to retire - would throw a lot of money out the window

not really buying that..

 

[Loyal]

OK AD, hold out yur hand..... ~ @Merlin

 

[OregonRamsFan]

I think I agree somewhat with both sides of whether or not we pay AD. The answer is somewhere in the middle. One thing you can bank on is that if you pay him, he won’t likely slack off like so many have in the past. I’d say $30.5 mil, some playoff incentives and a few Robert Kraft style massages to sweet the pot.

 

[PhillyRam]

Nice post. Losing him would suck but I think people are forgetting how good McVay is in all this. Donald didn't win shit before McVay came aboard. There's some players like him in league history who were great but never won shit because they didn't have a coach like him.

McVay is the franchise. I hope the Rams leadership never loses sight of that.

Yep, McVay is what makes this team a perennial contender. This team, with AD, didn't have a winning season without McVay.

I will add though, when you think about it, they won't have the leverage to demand a ton of picks.

First off, he is 31 and is expensive, so that limits the number of suitors.

Second, he will decide where he goes. Thus, his chosen team will not have to outbid many teams if any. He might decide its only the Rams, Steelers, or retirement. Sure an AFC contender might interest him, but few might be able to afford him.

So not sure we would get multiple #1's and #2's etc ... Maybe a #1 plus a couple #3's or a #1 & #2. It might be limited. Sure, if he was 26, you might get three #1's plus other picks/players.

The positive part of this worse case scenario, and I agree it's a worse case as I would hope he stays at a reasonable price, but the plus is you add more players or keep your own players with the cap room that opens up over the next 3 yrs.

 

[Loyal]

There are only so many ways this AD contract thing can end.

1. Rams and AD work things out, everybody is happy, and AD plays in ‘22. Best case scenario, of course.

2. AD holds out for a while, possibly even a few games. THEN an accommodation is reached and AD plays. Rams are still a SB contender here.

3. AD retires. He loses a fortune in future earnings, torpedoes his off-field marketing strategy in it’s infancy, alienates coaches, teammates, and fans. Plus he will have to pay back literally millions in advanced bonuses, etc.

4. Rams can’t work things out with AD and trade AD for a boatload of future picks. Rams are still competitive in ‘22 although no longer a SB favorite. But Rams can reload quickly with those future high picks together with a much reduced cap.

In all but one of the above scenarios Rams come out smelling like a rose even in the trade scenario long term.

If AD does retire he shoots himself in the foot on multiple levels. Even in that scenario Rams own his rights for 3 more years as his prime physical gifts slowly dissipate AND Rams save literally tens of millions off their salary cap. Money that would be invested in other quality players via FA, no doubt.

How can anybody claim that Rams are not holding the better cards here and have supreme leverage? C’mon…

I know that some have fallen in love with the player but not me. I learned a long time ago that team always comes before player. ANY player. Always…

Donald has never had a concussion in his career and as of right now, probably won't suffer from CTE if he retires now. He has all the accolades of a great career without the brain injuries or really other injuries, which is always a risk as guys get older. He has earned FU money, even if he has to give some back, and will always be numbered with the best defensive players of all time.


Tell me again how the Rams hold all the cards?

 

[SteezyEndo]

Surprised the old AD contract thread wasn’t re-used. We could of been shooting for a higher number.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Surprised the old AD contract thread wasn’t re-used. We could of been shooting for a higher number.

And wouldn't have had to say anything different. The posts from all sides are eerily similar.

.

 

[MachS]

Thing is his cap hit this year is over $26M. The $12M difference is already in his pocket with that signing bonus but the Rams gotta eat it as a hit this year so to say he's only making $14M is kind of misleading.

He is worth double that $14M. But that's roughly what he's making already and the Rams are on the hook for $23M for two years after that.

This is him wanting to get paid 3 years early because TJ Watt reset the market.

Yea I forgot about the roster bonus + the signing bonus. I mean at this point we really only have one option. We have to pay him because 1) we need him to win if we want to try and keep our window open, 2) he deserves to be among the top paid defensive players, 3) it sends the wrong message to the team if Aaron Donald doesn't get paid after leading us to a SB win.

He's got us by the balls and we need to just accept it and get it done. No reason to let it linger and potentially blow up. I mean he's the greatest player in our franchises' history, so there's some historical perspective to this as well. Stan has the money, the cap keeps going up yearly and is going to explode next year with the new TV deals. Plus Pastoors seems to be creative at minimizing the cap hit as much as possible, so I'm not really worried about this not getting done.

 

[oldnotdead]

I think the Rams are going to play kick the can with AD. I think they will hope that they can clear a bit of cap space this year and give them a much more manageable dead cap liability next year if AD retires.

AD has a cap hit of $26.7M right now. I could see them restructuring the current final 3 years of his contract. They could reduce this year's cap to $20M and add $5M in new fully guaranteed money. That $11.7M would be spread over the final 2 years. If AD decides to pull the plug anytime in the next two years the dead cap hit will be manageable. For example, if AD retires next year the dead cap would be $10M spread over 2 years.

How they handle the AD contract is the lynchpin to finalizing the rest of the roster. They could clear another $6-$7M giving them $11-$12M cap space. That gets their rookie class and OBJ signed. It might leave enough to make a trade for an edge if that edge agrees to take a one-year discount.

Regarding an edge, the cap restraints IMO are holding Snead hostage right now. The quick way would be to look at clearing cap space by making a roster move. Two players come to mind. A'Shawn Robinson and Rob Havenstein. IMO Robinson should probably be extended allowing them to clear around $5-$6M in cap this year. Havenstein is in his last year as well. His trade value is greater than his comp pick value. They could conceivably get a third round pick in a trade. That would clear about $9.1M off the cap immediately giving them room to trade for an edge. Teams like the Chargers would potentially be open to a trade. The Chargers have a crap RT and have the cap to make the trade. Rob would then go to a playoff contender and not even have to move.

IMO the Rams have a choice. One more year of Rob or clearing enough cap to get a long term solution at the edge opposite Floyd. With AD's retirement imminent a top bookend edge is a requirement. Gaines is the likely replacement at 3T with Robinson moving into 1T. So as an example, Hunter, Robinson, Gaines, and Floyd is an elite DL vs without Hunter which makes the Ram DL good but not elite. IMO the Rams can count on AD only for this year but his retirement is probably certain within 2 years. That would make getting that bookend edge all the more important.

Get that edge and IMO the Rams will be in next year's Super Bowl barring injuries. A complimentary edge to Floyd is the answer to AD's impending retirement. No one is making a living running between the tackles with Robinson and Gaines inside. With an edge like Floyd on the opposite side, no one is making a living on the perimeter run game. With Ramsey, Rochell, Durant, Fuller and Scott in the secondary, and Wagner, and Jones at LB this would have the makings of an elite defense.

A lot will depend upon if they think Jackson would be ready to start at RT. Having newbies Bruss and Jackson on the right side is a risk. But Jackson looked solid last year and I think if Bruss isn't ready they can play Shelton. Snead is always thinking a year ahead. That's why I see them signing OBJ and an edge. It's only a matter of how they will clear the cap.

 

[BonifayRam]

ADs not stupid, this is all a negotiation tactic. No way he's going to ask for QB money or $40M+. He wants to win another SB, thats all he's playing for at this point. Doesn't make sense to handcuff the team that much. But $14M sure ain't gonna cut it. Hes worth double that at least. McVay said today in his presser that 'things are trending in the right direction ' so we'll definitely get it done. I am zero percent worried tbh. My guess is $30M-$32M for the next couple years.

Sean McVay Comments On Aaron Donald Situation

We recently wrote about some comments made by Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald during an appearance on the I Am …

www.profootballrumors.com

 

[dieterbrock]

Any reason why this couldnt have just been posted in the Aaron Donald extension thread?

 

[RamFan503]

Any reason why this couldnt have just been posted in the Aaron Donald extension thread?

Nope. Merged.

 

[snackdaddy]

Aaron Donald makes a deal to secure his future. He's a world champion. On top of the world. Is he fat and content now? Or does he have an ego that makes him stay hungry? I hope its the latter.

 

[OldSchool]

lol this guy again.


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