About the AD contract impasse...

[Rams43]

I think that an AD extension is still very possible, but it will require two things.

1) AD must drop any extraneous deal breaking demands such as an opt out clause, if any.

2) AD must be halfway reasonable in his salary demands. Say, around $20 million per for 5 or 6 years? No 3 year crap. Heavy guarantees should be no problem.

If both parties can agree on the above, I think this could be done by Monday.

Clearly, the holdup is coming from AD’s side. Rams want to extend and say that they’ve set the money aside. Sooooo...

The ball is in AD’s court (together with his pos agent, that is). Rams have all the leverage and will continue to do so through ‘20. Maybe even ‘21.

Beyond a certain amount, AD’s salary becomes a net negative for the overall cap welfare of the entire team.

Here’s some food for thought, although some might consider it heresy. The Rams are in the process of building a magnificent D. They are already but a NT, 2 OLB, and an ILB away, IMO. And they have cap room, the entire FA period, plus the draft ahead in which to fill those spots. VERY doable.

Looking down the road, their need for an elite AD will diminish. Yeah, they’ll want him, no doubt. But will they really NEED him? They might have a top 5 D either with him or without him.

Should the tail be allowed to wag the dog? And this is coming from a huge AD fan. I’m just an even bigger Ram fan.

 

[Merlin]

Do we really know what the holdup here is? Do we know it's AD? I suspect that if he played for the Eagles, for example, Roseman would have wrapped the dude up by now.

I have to think at least in AD's case that Demoff knows he's not gonna get burned, that it's going to get done. But until I start seeing him knock down some of the dominoes I remain concerned.

 

[WestCoastRam]

No reason or time to negotiate with him right now, we gotta take care of FA first.

 

[FaulkSF]

AD is under contract right now. Dependent on the FA class we bring in, some 2018 money may be added to Donald's contract and that may be the only hold up. The only other minor threat is the Dolphins releasing Suh. If the Phins release him, that may point to a market of that was too much money for a DT.

I would expect $20-$24M/yr and 80%+ guaranteed.

 

[dieterbrock]

Who says there's a hold up? Or an impasse?

 

[Turducken]

3yr deal should be out of the question. We could keep him 3yrs under current contract and two franchise tags for less than $40mil (with the option to cut him if he got hurt). That's serious leverage.

I think a fair offer would be an extension of current contract plus 6 years at $22 mil/yr. That's about $140m for next seven years. Frontload what you can into the upcoming year to make room for TG and Goff extensions. Guarantee $70mil. AD would become the highest paid defender in the league and a Ram for his whole HOF career. Oh and get some Hollywood company to produce his own crimefighting cartoon show (like Muhammad Ali in the 70's).

 

[Florida_Ram]

Not a smack on you @Rams43 but another Donald contract discussion thread... :deadhorse:

I know, I know, I know... it won't even be close to the last AD thread until he's signed to an extension or his next holdout etc..

I wanted to believe and hoped AD would see the vision of McVay and the Rams long term plan to be a legitimate SB contender like that Pats on a consistent basis and that he's seeing the reality of it with the cuts of Quinn and Tree and how many holes were on the roster in 2017.

Realizing how hard it is for an NFL team to win championships spending so much of their salary cap on a 4 or 5 core players outside of the quarterback position.

We all know that's not how it works in the mind of young NFL super stars going after their 2nd contract, let alone young hall of fame candidates.

If I was lotto winner, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 100 million vs 85 million because I've never even had a million dollars period.

A professional sports athlete doesn't view the world that way and with an agent in his ear along with their pride, 99% of the time they don't really want to win the championship vs getting the most money possible while they're so young. This usually happens when they've already made their money and they are at the end of their careers.

I was hoping AD would be different but that thought left my mind last year during contract negotiations.

Superbowl rings are overrated to young super star NFL players even though they always say winning is the most important thing and they would play this game for free because of how much they love the sport.


It will never change and I've excepted it many years ago

 

[1maGoh]

Not a smack on you @Rams43 but another Donald contract discussion thread... :deadhorse:

I know, I know, I know... it won't even be close to the last AD thread until he's signed to an extension or his next holdout etc..

Do we have a new #QuestFor99 with this thread?

 

[PressureD41]

I just think AD99 is waiting on what K. Mack gets

 

[Rams43]

Not a smack on you @Rams43 but another Donald contract discussion thread... :deadhorse:

I know, I know, I know... it won't even be close to the last AD thread until he's signed to an extension or his next holdout etc..

I wanted to believe and hoped AD would see the vision of McVay and the Rams long term plan to be a legitimate SB contender like that Pats on a consistent basis and that he's seeing the reality of it with the cuts of Quinn and Tree and how many holes were on the roster in 2017.

Realizing how hard it is for an NFL team to win championships spending so much of their salary cap on a 4 or 5 core players outside of the quarterback position.

We all know that's not how it works in the mind of young NFL super stars going after their 2nd contract, let alone young hall of fame candidates.

If I was lotto winner, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 100 million vs 85 million because I've never even had a million dollars period.

A professional sports athlete doesn't view the world that way and with an agent in his ear along with their pride, 99% of the time they don't really want to win the championship vs getting the most money possible while they're so young. This usually happens when they've already made their money and they are at the end of their careers.

I was hoping AD would be different but that thought left my mind last year during contract negotiations.

Superbowl rings are overrated to young super star NFL players even though they always say winning is the most important thing and they would play this game for free because of how much they love the sport.


It will never change and I've excepted it many years ago

Two things, Florida.

First, since AD has not yet extended, this is a legit topic of conversation. Will be until things are resolved.

Secondly, there are some new thoughts and ideas in my post. I refer you to my last 4 paragraphs.

 

[RamFan503]

There will be more AD contract posts. I think we are all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens.

While I’m not sure there are a lot of new ideas here that haven’t been discussed, I do think that the OP is laid out interestingly enough to drive conversation.

Funny thing is that even if it appears to be just another AD thread by some, it will no doubt be commented on quite a bit because the guy is probably constantly on all our minds.

I personally want desperately to see Donald retire in horns. I see the points brought up by the OP and agree with them to an extent. But damn it. I feel AD is a transcendent player and we don’t get to watch many of them these days with the cap and current FA crap.

We are now in a position where we have one of the richest owners in all of sports, back in a huge market, and I’m selfish. I wish we could just throw the bank at him.

 

[nighttrain]

There will be more AD contract posts. I think we are all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens.

While I’m not sure there are a lot of new ideas here that haven’t been discussed, I do think that the OP is laid out interestingly enough to drive conversation.

Funny thing is that even if it appears to be just another AD thread by some, it will no doubt be commented on quite a bit because the guy is probably constantly on all our minds.

I personally want desperately to see Donald retire in horns. I see the points brought up by the OP and agree with them to an extent. But damn it. I feel AD is a transcendent player and we don’t get to watch many of them these days with the cap and current FA crap.

We are now in a position where we have one of the richest owners in all of sports, back in a huge market, and I’m selfish. I wish we could just throw the bank at him.

there is a cap amigo, and the more i think on it, giving AD 20 or more mil a year might not be the best course for the Rams, love AD, But i love the Rams more...
train

 

[Merlin]

I personally want desperately to see Donald retire in horns. I see the points brought up by the OP and agree with them to an extent. But damn it. I feel AD is a transcendent player and we don’t get to watch many of them these days with the cap and current FA crap.

Agreed. I desperately want to see some long term contracts given out so that I don't have to worry about some of these guys any more. Watching them tag Joyner really irritated me, just seems like either every single guy coming up for contract in horns is asking for too much, OR the Rams are struggling to find their stride in locking them down.

So seeing them knock down the biggest MFing domino of them all is going to be pretty sweet. Praying it gets done sooner vice later.

 

[RamFan503]

Agreed. I desperately want to see some long term contracts given out so that I don't have to worry about some of these guys any more. Watching them tag Joyner really irritated me, just seems like either every single guy coming up for contract in horns is asking for too much, OR the Rams are struggling to find their stride in locking them down.

So seeing them knock down the biggest MFing domino of them all is going to be pretty sweet. Praying it gets done sooner vice later.

I get it man. I think though that we have been searching for the right coach and system for so long that this is part of the outcome. Now we are in the midst of another turn over and we may just be in for much of the same for a while. I like the direction we are going THIS TIME. I just don’t think we have done THAT aweful of a job in recent years and have faith that we are getting there faster than in a long time. Let’s all hope that continues as it’s never a given.

 

[XXXIVwin]

We could keep him 3yrs under current contract and two franchise tags for less than $40mil

Wow. Perspective.

Pretend you don’t know about AD’s situation. Then, imagine you hear the news tomorrow, “AD signs 3 year contract with Rams for 39M, or 13M per year.”

I bet a lot of Rams fans might say, “Fantastic. We get a super-elite player, arguably the best in the NFL, for three more years at the absolute peak of his powers, for the absurdly low rate of 13M per year. Then, once he hits 30 and starts to decline, he can become a FA and some other team can pay him 25M per year. But in the intervening 3 years, Rams get super-elite player at low rate with cap flexibility.”

Whether it’s fair or not, the Rams FO has significant incentive to let things stay as-is. Especially given the monster contracts coming up for Gurley and Goff, it must be awfully tempting to keep Donald for 3 years at an average of 13M per. Not saying it’s the “right” thing, but...
not inconceivable that AD gets stuck with being underpaid for 3 more years.

Besides, with the amazing way Snead and co. are transforming the roster every season, a 3 year commitment sounds “long term” by comparison...!

 

[ScotsRam]

Wow. Perspective.

Pretend you don’t know about AD’s situation. Then, imagine you hear the news tomorrow, “AD signs 3 year contract with Rams for 39M, or 13M per year.”

I bet a lot of Rams fans might say, “Fantastic. We get a super-elite player, arguably the best in the NFL, for three more years at the absolute peak of his powers, for the absurdly low rate of 13M per year. Then, once he hits 30 and starts to decline, he can become a FA and some other team can pay him 25M per year. But in the intervening 3 years, Rams get super-elite player at low rate with cap flexibility.”

Whether it’s fair or not, the Rams FO has significant incentive to let things stay as-is. Especially given the monster contracts coming up for Gurley and Goff, it must be awfully tempting to keep Donald for 3 years at an average of 13M per. Not saying it’s the “right” thing, but...
not inconceivable that AD gets stuck with being underpaid for 3 more years.

Besides, with the amazing way Snead and co. are transforming the roster every season, a 3 year commitment sounds “long term” by comparison...!

You can't treat your players like that if you want to win. What incentive for an FA to sign for an organisation that is shitty to its players? What incentive would there be for our guys to go hard in the off-eason, preseason and regular season if their efforts aren't going to be rewarded?

Donald has earned a new deal. Pay the man.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I am insanely conflicted.

Donald is clearly the best at his position. But, I have a REALLY hard time paying his position at the levels we are talking - even as good as he is.

He might be worth it, but the rest of the roster will have less to work with.

We can only afford so many big contracts. Is DT a place we can put one?

If someone wanted to package some serious premium picks for him, I’d have to listen.



Now... if we can front load his deal, to ensure space for later... I’d do that.

 

[RamFan503]

You can't treat your players like that if you want to win. What incentive for an FA to sign for an organisation that is crappy to its players? What incentive would there be for our guys to go hard in the off-eason, preseason and regular season if their efforts aren't going to be rewarded?

Donald has earned a new deal. Pay the man.

Shitty to its players is subjective. He has undoubtedly deserved a new deal. Well... sorta. He knew the deal when he came in to the NFL and IMO has earned a new look. But to be honest, no one has been crappy to him just because they don’t want to meet his agent’s demands.

Pay the man? Do we know his demands? No we don’t.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I am insanely conflicted.

Donald is clearly the best at his position. But, I have a REALLY hard time paying his position at the levels we are talking - even as good as he is.

He might be worth it, but the rest of the roster will have less to work with.

We can only afford so many big contracts. Is DT a place we can put one?

If someone wanted to package some serious premium picks for him, I’d have to listen.



Now... if we can front load his deal, to ensure space for later... I’d do that.

Man, I just read my own post again... and I’m not sure I agree with myself!

Thank god we have Les, Kevin, and Sean to figure this out.

 

[Mackeyser]

I just think AD99 is waiting on what K. Mack gets

I think so, too.

I think being the highest paid isn't about the money, but what it says about his value and importance.

I don't get it. You see what Suh's monster contract did for Miami and as much as any player wants to win, those contracts make it super tough.

Look at Cousins. He's gonna make close to or maybe even $30M/yr. That's nuts. Teams had a hard enough time working around a $20M cap hit. And look at how bad it hurt NO having those huge cap hits for Brees.

Granted, NE cheats by funnelling money to Brady outside of football (which is so blatantly unfair, I dunno where to begin. It's actually worse than DeflateGate and right up there with SpyGate because it's cheating the cap and creates an unfair advantage), but with Brady making around $15M per year, they have room for 1-2 more solid contributors and we all know that sometimes it's that one or two extra guys who can make the difference.

Wouldn't bother me at all in the next CBA if they capped a player's contract at a certain level. Shortened the rookie contract or only allowed one use of the Franchise Tag per player so they could get paid sooner, but knowing there's a cap.

The upside is that while QBs would get paid less, there's every chance that exceptional All-Pro guys at certain positions might also "cap out".

I think it'd be a really good move.