Aaron Donald needs to see love from Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams need to show Aaron Donald both love and money, because he’s currently the league’s best NFL defensive player.
This offseason, no team has added more star power than the Los Angeles Rams. General manager Les Snead acquired Marcus Peters, Brandin Cooks and Aqib Talib via trade while simultaneously signing Ndamukong Suh to a one-year deal.
Snead’s plan is obvious: maximize the window of Jared Goff’s rookie deal, which runs for three more seasons. However, the Rams can’t forget about the elite talent on their defensive line.
Aaron Donald held out during the offseason program last year in hopes of a new deal, and he’s apparently doing so again. The 26-year-old didn’t show up to Los Angeles’ voluntary OTAs on Monday, making a statement that will be far more resounding should he skip mandatory minicamp come mid-June.
Donald isn’t arguably the best defensive lineman in football, because it’s impossible to argue against the notion. The former first-round pick graded out as a 99.7 on a 1-100 scale on Pro Football Focus last season, including a 99.9 in pass rush. In four seasons, Donald has 39 sacks including 11 sacks last year. With his rookie deal expiring after this campaign, the time has come to pay up.
The Rams have more than enough cap space with a projected $72.4 million at this disposal. Snead will have to make tough choices on other free agents including LaMarcus Joyner and Suh, but the choice on Donald isn’t. It will be the largest average annual value and guaranteed money deal in NFL history at the position, and rightfully so.
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If Snead wants to wait until after the 2018 season, he can, but the price will only rise with another good showing. Additionally, the Rams might box themselves into a corner, having to use the franchise tag on Donald when it could be used on Suh or Joyner (again) if Donald is locked up.
Los Angeles did a phenomenal job of adding superstars to the roster this winter, it just can’t forget about the biggest one, the one who was already in tow.