Bonsignore: With preseason games upon us, and Aaron Donald’s holdout lingering, what is his end game

[EasyE]

Right there with you @Merlin he has already proved he is not the person I thought he was.

There is no way the Rams have not made a reasonable offer knowing how good he is. WTF could he possibly be holding out for?

At this point I would be telling him get to camp or we'll quit negotiating and he can play for his rookie salary and get tagged for a couple of years or retire early.

we are used to losing with him, done it for years...big deal if he leaves....Ram fan forever regardless.. next man up!

 

[Ramstien]

Like I've said before it is an ego thing, it is not even about the money. How many millions do you need, I mean really. Oh yea don't let me forget the new Rams slogan "We not Me". He is currently under contract for the next 2 seasons if he does not want to be a Ram let him sit home and watch the games like the rest of us. What a tremendous wast of talent EDIT

 

[den-the-coach]

Anxious to see how this plays out, many have felt there will be a deal and the Ram front office at this point has not given the perception of doing things the right way. Hopefully, Donald signs the extension and he continues to play at a high level and eventually lead the Rams to post season.

As to him holding out, I don't have an issue with it, the CBA is what it is I never take one side over the other because I believe players should get paid, but I also believe in dealing within the parameters of what have been agreed to with people you have put in charge to negotiate on your behalf. All in all none of us are going to care if Donald gets paid and plays well, however, if he gets paid and gets injured or suffers this year because of not being ready, well, thus is a life of a Ram fan.

 

[FRO]

If the Rams aren't willing to pay Donald more than Suh then they need to trade him. Donald is one of, if not the best defensive player in the league. He deserves to be paid as such. I do not blame Donald for holding out and trying to get paid. He is one play away from getting hurt and never being able to make that sort of money. I never see these threads pop up when players get cut by teams and fans whine and moan about teams not honoring the contract.

The Rams tried going cheap on Jenkins and it cost them. If they think they can do that to Donald it will cost them again.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

Just go look at what the lions did to levy. Screw the teams. Stick to your guns AD.

.

 

[FRO]

.

Just go look at what the lions did to levy. Screw the teams. Stick to your guns AD.

.

NFL players have it horrible compared to other leagues. The owners hold all the cards. When players want a raise the only tool in their tool belt is to hold out. Holding out draws a ton of ire from fans while the teams and owners look good. If the team feels a player isn't playing to their contract they either cut the player, or force the player to take a pay cut. You never hear about fans whining about that. If a star player is facing free agency they simply slap a franchise tag on the player and block him from negotiating on the open market. With football being such a violent sport and players being one play away from never being able to play again or earn that type of money, I will side with players on trying to get their money while they can. Yes NFL players get paid very well to play a game. Owners make exponentially more and fans don't tune in to watch owners.

 

[JackDRams]

NFL players have it horrible compared to other leagues. The owners hold all the cards. When players want a raise the only tool in their tool belt is to hold out. Holding out draws a ton of ire from fans while the teams and owners look good. If the team feels a player isn't playing to their contract they either cut the player, or force the player to take a pay cut. You never hear about fans whining about that. If a star player is facing free agency they simply slap a franchise tag on the player and block him from negotiating on the open market. With football being such a violent sport and players being one play away from never being able to play again or earn that type of money, I will side with players on trying to get their money while they can. Yes NFL players get paid very well to play a game. Owners make exponentially more and fans don't tune in to watch owners.

Get the fuck outta here, if all you're going to do is make sense, FRO.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Orlando Pace held out several times during TC. It was just a way to get out of practice before the regular season.

 

[Jacobarch]

I assume you actually mean franchise tag him? Yes he has lost a year of free agency due to hold out, but it is a meaningless year. The rams aren't going to give him a RFA tag, he can then negotiate with another team, yes rams can match maybe, otherwise they only get a first round pick. RFA in reality gives him free agency he wants.

Yes they can tag him twice. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[LACHAMP46]

If the Ram's try to go cheap, which I don't think they will, then I know this organization is not serious about keeping it's own stars nor serious about winning.

It shows the players, rookies, potential free agents this as well.

So yes, this argument is pointless. The Rams are going to pay Donald. They know what he's worth. They know how valuable he is. They know how rare he is. Like any other elite player, he's going to get paid his market value. We both know what that is.

exactly...

It does add the "bad blood" element tho...I mean, how will AD take all these tactics? Are they showing plays of him loafing or not trying hard at the end of the season? IDK...but the reality is, it makes no sense to squeeze the best player on the damn team. And overpay some others.

 

[Faceplant]

Yeah, the Tavon and True deals are what make this so much more painful. The Rams backed a Brinks truck up to Tavon's house and tagged Tru for 2 years at a ridiculous cap cost (for one more season of above average play) only to NOT have the cap $ to extend AD and pay him a fair market contract. How on earth did the FO screw this up so bad?

 

[nanotech]

 

[SteezyEndo]

If the Rams aren't willing to pay Donald more than Suh then they need to trade him. Donald is one of, if not the best defensive player in the league. He deserves to be paid as such. I do not blame Donald for holding out and trying to get paid. He is one play away from getting hurt and never being able to make that sort of money. I never see these threads pop up when players get cut by teams and fans whine and moan about teams not honoring the contract.

The Rams tried going cheap on Jenkins and it cost them. If they think they can do that to Donald it will cost them again.

Wait so this is about how much Suh makes?

So I guess Donald wants to be just that...

 

[FRO]

Wait so this is about how much Suh makes?

So I guess Donald wants to be just that...

I do too. Unfortunately for me once I get that signing bonus I would become extremely lazy.

 

[FRO]

It shows the players, rookies, potential free agents this as well.

exactly...

It does add the "bad blood" element tho...I mean, how will AD take all these tactics? Are they showing plays of him loafing or not trying hard at the end of the season? IDK...but the reality is, it makes no sense to squeeze the best player on the damn team. And overpay some others.

Very good points. If players on the team see them trying to go cheap on the best player on the team, they may start to question the organization's commitment to winning.

Another thing, if Gurley has a bounce back year like I expect, we will be sitting in the same boat with him next year. The thing that sucks about building through the draft is once guys hit their stride, you either have to open up the pockets or let them walk. Building a consistent winner is tough, but it seems like it's the same teams consistently winning.

 

[Ramlock]

It does add the "bad blood" element tho...I mean, how will AD take all these tactics? Are they showing plays of him loafing or not trying hard at the end of the season? IDK...but the reality is, it makes no sense to squeeze the best player on the damn team. And overpay some others.

Champ, there is no evidence of that stuff going on.

I do expect the Rams to have pushed a big ol' pile of money to the table already.

It could be a Pace type situation. He may not want to come to camp.

 

[Ramlock]

Yeah, the Tavon and True deals are what make this so much more painful. The Rams backed a Brinks truck up to Tavon's house and tagged Tru for 2 years at a ridiculous cap cost (for one more season of above average play) only to NOT have the cap $ to extend AD and pay him a fair market contract. How on earth did the FO screw this up so bad?

They haven't screwed anything up with Donald...yet.

I have seen elsewhere that the Rams are in good shape relative to the cap and that the Rams are in position to benefit from an increased cap over the next few years due to the way that contracts have been structured.

The Donald holdout is high profile.

I'm not near panic mode yet. I have complete confidence that something will get done.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Champ, there is no evidence of that stuff going on.

Naw, no evidence....but I'm sure they aren't saying yeah, yeah, certainly to all of his demands either.....

 

[Merlin]

Somewhere between $19 million and $20 million per year.

And that my friend is where we disagree. I don't think any DT is worth that money and no amount of back and forth will change my mind on it. If he wants that, I simply tell him no and let him do whatever he wants to do even if it's holding out.

Definitely agree to disagree on that one.

 

[96GS#007]

He has no leverage. If the team decides to pay up, then the team should put a clause in there that says "AD, the guaranteed money will be paid out over 4 years. If your performance drops over the next 4 years, the guaranteed money drops as does the yearly salary". There are plenty of stats out there that can be used as the benchmarks. The stats can also be weighted to reflect the level of importance.

If he (at the advice of his agent?) decides to sit out the year, it could result in the loss of his career since at that point, if I'm the team, I pull the offer off the table and tell him to play for his rookie contract. If someone sits for 1-2 years, do they really think they'll get that big contract? At that point I think at best he'd end up on a "prove it" deal.