Aaron Donald’s contract situation

[CGI_Ram]

During Aaron Donald's first three seasons the Rams were a combined 17-31. It surely wasn't his fault. He was the best player on the field and tried his hardest. The point is that while he's most likely headed to the HOF at the rate he's going, the worth of a DT has to be measured compared to what he will subtract from the salary cap and how that affects signing other players.

Hope AD signs at a reasonable rate but if he doesn't then all the best to him. The team comes before one individual player. There are certain teams, which I will not mention, that win season after season because they don't put up with this. I hope the Rams front office does the same.

Exactly where my head is at.

Exactly.

 

[dang]

Sure, but one could also guess that Donald countered the Rams offer and they turned it down.
Cuts both ways
Fletcher Cox signed a 6 year 103 mill contract (17.1 per) with 63 mill guaranteed. The cap was 155 mill. So he took up 11% of the cap.
The 2018 cap is 177 mill and 11% equates to 19.5 mill per. So to think they can’t stretch an extra mill or two for a player far superior to Cox?
There's room to "pay the man" without killing the cap. Certainly hasn’t hurt the Eagles

Would you feel the same way if Donald was asking for $23M guaranteed for 3 years allowing him to walk after year 3? My guess is that is in ballpark of what Donald and his opportunistic agents are looking for.

 

[Prime Time]

Sure, but one could also guess that Donald countered the Rams offer and they turned it down.

If that's true then what he wanted was more than they were willing to pay.

Fletcher Cox signed a 6 year 103 mill contract (17.1 per) with 63 mill guaranteed. The cap was 155 mill. So he took up 11% of the cap.

I would have no problem with that type of contract for AD.

At some point the Rams will have to think about how to pay Gurley and others. These contracts we're seeing is setting a precedent. If Aaron Donald wants to be the highest paid D player in history then why wouldn't Todd Gurley want to the highest paid RB in history? Surely he deserves it as much as AD. When it's time for Jared Goff to get paid he will want QB money and deservedly so.

There's a finite amount of money available for each team. The more one player gets, the less another player can get paid. I'm a fan of the team, not the individual player.

Btw thanks for the discussion. Hope this contract deal works out for the best.

 

[dieterbrock]

If that's true then what he wanted was more than they were willing to pay.

It could be one or the other, we still don't know.
Articles like the one posted offer no new information however posture it as though there is.
Rams could be at fault here as well.

If Aaron Donald wants to be the highest paid D player in history then why wouldn't Todd Gurley want to the highest paid RB in history?

And again, who said that is what Donald wants?

 

[Prime Time]

And again, who said that is what Donald wants?

I'll bet you all my ROD credits that, unless he's traded, he will end up being the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.

 

[dieterbrock]

I'll bet you all my ROD credits that, unless he's traded, he will end up being the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.

That's different than what you were saying.
You were putting words in Donald mouth that we don't know he's saying.

 

[1maGoh]

That's different than what you were saying.
You were putting words in Donald mouth that we don't know he's saying.

There was a report last year that said the Rams already offered him a contract to make him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. He turned it down. Using the power of logic we can deduce that he wants to be the highest paid defensive player in NFL history AND something else that we aren't privy to. That's not words in his mouth, that's reading the situation.

It stands to reason that the Rams are offering a deal that is close to market value and works for the team. It would be ridiculous to assume that they are getting substantially lower than market value. That means that Donald is turning down those contacts, even if he's countering with something else. The person likely to be the least in touch with reality in regards to their demands in this situation is Donald.

If the Rams were offering a low deal, there wouldn't be much reason not to put that out to the media in order to gain leverage on them.

It's time to face reasonable assumptions, and accept that Donald is very likely turning down the Rams so he can get something they can't offer.

 

[Prime Time]

That's different than what you were saying.
You were putting words in Donald mouth that we don't know he's saying.

Love ya fellow Rams fanatic but I'm done with this. We will see what happens.

 

[dieterbrock]

There was a report last year that said the Rams already offered him a contract to make him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. He turned it down. Using the power of logic we can deduce that he wants to be the highest paid defensive player in NFL history AND something else that we aren't privy to. That's not words in his mouth, that's reading the situation.

It stands to reason that the Rams are offering a deal that is close to market value and works for the team. It would be ridiculous to assume that they are getting substantially lower than market value. That means that Donald is turning down those contacts, even if he's countering with something else. The person likely to be the least in touch with reality in regards to their demands in this situation is Donald.

If the Rams were offering a low deal, there wouldn't be much reason not to put that out to the media in order to gain leverage on them.

It's time to face reasonable assumptions, and accept that Donald is very likely turning down the Rams so he can get something they can't offer.

I don’t recall that. Got a link?

 

[1maGoh]

I don’t recall that. Got a link?

It was posted on here. I definitely don't have time to search for it. Sorry.

 

[dieterbrock]

It was posted on here. I definitely don't have time to search for it. Sorry.

I don’t remember any article that referred to numbers like that.
Like the article recently posted here, many have inferred their opinion as fact.

 

[tempests]

I think you guys are giving up too quick. The Orlando Pace negotiations went on longer than this, we still got it done.

Last we heard from Demoff they weren't working against a hard deadline.

No reports of friction or acrimony between team and player. Which you would have if the two sides weren't close.

I believe they are close. They're not just working on our timetable.

 

[1maGoh]

I don’t remember any article that referred to numbers like that.
Like the article recently posted here, many have inferred their opinion as fact.

http://lastwordonprofootball.com/2017/08/27/how-greedy-is-aaron-donald/

There's that. Ignore everything but the last third to a quarter of it. Fuck it. I'll just quote it:

The only mention of numbers that can be found is on downtownrams.com which states Donald turned down a six-year $120M offer from the Rams, and that “it sounds like Aaron Donald is looking for an opt-out clause after the third year of the contract. A lot of Rams fans have not taken this news well.”

The link, oddly, doesn't go to downtownrams.com (@jakebogen95 way to go bro).

It goes here:

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...on-donald-contract-holdout-espn-adam-schefter

Which has this (good Lord this is getting tedious):

Aaron Donald, when he gets a new deal, is going to make 60...65...70 million dollars in guaranteed money. Why would Aaron Donald go in, right now, to go play for $1.8 - $2M? Why would he do that? Ever? The Rams made, what I understand to be, a very strong offer right before camp; but I don’t think they’re going to budge as long as he’s out of camp. And he’s out of camp. And they’re not going to budge, so we’ve got a standoff...a standstill...whatever you want to call it, that I think threatens to go on for a while here. We may not see Aaron Donald for a while.

And all that came from here:


View: http://www.espn.com/videohub/video/clip?id=20348019


Maybe @jakebogen95 can with in on his source that the first article referenced?

Edit: Found it:

https://www.downtownrams.com/single-post/2017/08/15/Aaron-Donald-Holdout-Has-No-End-In-Sight

Jake, what's the deal?

 

[Merlin]

Polian went on quite a bit tonight on NFL Sirius channel about Julio Jones and potential holdout in camp, and made a lot of sense.

One thing I liked that he pointed out was that the collective bargaining agreement--like it or not--doesn't account for players getting that contract a year early for a reason. That the fine involved was there for a reason, and also how in his experience holding the line on those things could help get the signing done, i.e. that the players feel that $80K a day fine when the team doesn't wave it.

Thinking about the Rams and AD, he's certainly a special player and a guy the Rams have said they want to sign. But it makes me wonder if some hardball's comin from the Rams, given that they're entering that window where he's going to realize he might be looking at no contract plus two years of Rams control with fines when he doesn't show.

They have yet to play hardball with him that I know of at least, as I assume they waived his fines last year. And another thing he went on about is the impact in the locker room, where players start to "agent up" and look for that representation that will take a hard line even when they're not that level of player who warrants the same consideration, that it can affect the locker room adversely.

Lot to consider listening to him tbh. Will have to check Sirius later and see if I can find the link.

 

[dieterbrock]

http://lastwordonprofootball.com/2017/08/27/how-greedy-is-aaron-donald/

There's that. Ignore everything but the last third to a quarter of it. freak it. I'll just quote it:



The link, oddly, doesn't go to downtownrams.com (@jakebogen95 way to go bro).

It goes here:

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...on-donald-contract-holdout-espn-adam-schefter

Which has this (good Lord this is getting tedious):



And all that came from here:


View: http://www.espn.com/videohub/video/clip?id=20348019


Maybe @jakebogen95 can with in on his source that the first article referenced?

Edit: Found it:

https://www.downtownrams.com/single-post/2017/08/15/Aaron-Donald-Holdout-Has-No-End-In-Sight

Jake, what's the deal?

Right. All rumor. No money offers have been substantiated

 

[1maGoh]

Right. All rumor. No money offers have been substantiated

That's an interesting take.

Those articles are not what I remember reading last year, but it does have a reference to someone knowing that the Rams made a strong offer. If the Rams were making crap offers, that would be out on the news already. Do you think the Rams are offering him minimum salary and a 12 pack of Coors Light?

The only way this negotiation could have a chance of staying as quiet as it has is under two conditions:

1. The Rams are making offers
2. Those offers are high quality and it would embarrass Donald if he turned them down

The Rams don't want to make him look bad, so they don't say anything. Donald doesn't want to look bad, so he doesn't say anything.

If they weren't making offers, it would be out already. If they were making below market offers, it would be out because it would help Donald's agent. The Rams would lose face in front of every other player and agent in America. That's a gold mine that Donald's agent wouldn't pass up.

The only other alternative is that the Rams are offering fair-enough deals and Donald is turning them down.

I see you nay saying a lot, but you aren't putting anything into the conversation. You just keep coming on and saying no. Offer a viable alternative, please.

 

[dieterbrock]

I see you nay saying a lot, but you aren't putting anything into the conversation. You just keep coming on and saying no. Offer a viable alternative, please.

Lol. This is priceless.
My take has been, and will continue to be that I won’t pass judgement until we know the facts. There has been no new information so I think it’s silly to react to dreck articles like the one which provoked this conversation.
If the article was properly titled, “I think Aaron Donald wants to reset the market” it would get less clicks and reaction than the more factual sounding “Aaron Donald wants to reset the market”

 

[1maGoh]

Lol. This is priceless.
My take has been, and will continue to be that I won’t pass judgement until we know the facts. There has been no new information so I think it’s silly to react to dreck articles like the one which provoked this conversation.
If the article was properly titled, “I think Aaron Donald wants to reset the market” it would get less clicks and reaction than the more factual sounding “Aaron Donald wants to reset the market”

Have fun with that conversation. It sounds wicked boring.

I guess we shouldn't talk about who a think will make the roster, what the Rams record will be, or anything else about the season that hasn't happened yet. I mean, we don't know so we shouldn't discuss it.

 

[dieterbrock]

Have fun with that conversation. It sounds wicked boring.

I guess we shouldn't talk about who a think will make the roster, what the Rams record will be, or anything else about the season that hasn't happened yet. I mean, we don't know so we shouldn't discuss it.

If that's the same conversation to you, you need to take a reading comprehension course
My issue was with the article posted, that the author of the article made an accusation without foundation.
Sorry that's too complicated for you to follow

 

[VegasRam]

I'm preparing for life without Donald, and I love the guy.
I just keep remembering Kroenke wanting to build the franchise in the image of the Patriots, and believe the word has come down that "this" is our best and final offer, and that he and the Rams firm in this stance.
First rule of negotiation - be prepared to walk away.
Personally, I think $2oM for 5 or 6 years, with $60-70 guaranteed is plenty, even a bit much, as I KEEP looking at Watt's deal.
Add to that (me) wanting cash for Saffold, Peters, Joyner, Cooks, Gurley and Havenstein, (plus draft picks we could pick up), just not all in on keeping him no matter what.