Aaron Donald’s contract situation

[jrry32]

So why hate the owner if they are both "playing the game'? Are you saying that a player is more right to demand money just to be the highest paid? Personally I think that is a BS argument.

I don't hate the owner. I have no issue with what either side is doing. I'm talking to the people who are upset at Donald for playing hardball. That's actual BS. As I said, don't hate the player; hate the game.

 

[jrry32]

We offered what we could afford

We're offering him big money because he has enough leverage to make us renegotiate his deal.

 

[kurtfaulk]

We're offering him big money because he has enough leverage to make us renegotiate his deal.

His only leverage is that he may well be, when it's all said and done, the best defender to ever walk on the field and the rams want him to stay with them his whole career.

.

 

[jrry32]

His only leverage is that he may well be, when it's all said and done, the best defender to ever walk on the field and the rams want him to stay with them his whole career.

.

Well, that and the Rams have Super Bowl aspirations this year, which would be severely diminished if Donald sits.

 

[dang]

Well, that and the Rams have Super Bowl aspirations this year, which would be severely diminished if Donald sits.

that's the sad part about this - the possibility of not seeing the fury that a full season of Donald-Suh-Brockers could unleash!! Maybe once in a lifetime opportunity for some Rams fans!!

 

[1maGoh]

Simple Question for anyone that cares to respond. Kurt Cousins is making 28 million this year and the following 2. Is Kurt Cousins a better football player than Aaron Donald?

Kirk Cousins isn't a better football player that Johnny Hekker, but Hekker has no chance at 28 million. Different positions, different impacts, different salaries regardless of overall talent or historical positional ranking. DT isn't worth 28 million a year, no matter how good he is (unless he's getting a sack or a TFL on 1/2 of all snaps played and pressure on all the rest).

 

[Jacobarch]

Kirk Cousins isn't a better football player that Johnny Hekker, but Hekker has no chance at 28 million. Different positions, different impacts, different salaries regardless of overall talent or historical positional ranking. DT isn't worth 28 million a year, no matter how good he is (unless he's getting a sack or a TFL on 1/2 of all snaps played and pressure on all the rest).

Dude you're totally right. I don't get how people don't see this

 

[VegasRam]

There's no way, if it comes to it, that he would go to the Steelers. They don't offer huge guaranteed money. Just ask leveon bell, they offered him $10m guaranteed money.

.

Yeah - I think I kinda said that.

 

[pmil66]

Dude you're totally right. I don't get how people don't see this

I dont see it, evidently neither does Donald.
Aaron Donald is the best defensive player in the league today, and is on the path to a hall of fame career. Dont follow Cousins closely, but do not see him as the best offensive player in the league or on a path to a hall of fame career.
Would not trade Donald even up for Cousins. I understand its a QB driven league, certainly understand that a QB will make more than a DE. But the question is how much more, a few million or several million. Certainly do not fault Donald, the best defensive player in the league for asking for 25 million per year, when Cousins, among, but not the best QB in the league is paid 28 million.
Im sure many will disagree.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Yeah - I think I kinda said that.

you kinda did. the steelers do pay players but just not in guaranteed money.

.

 

[1maGoh]

I dont see it, evidently neither does Donald.
Aaron Donald is the best defensive player in the league today, and is on the path to a hall of fame career. Dont follow Cousins closely, but do not see him as the best offensive player in the league or on a path to a hall of fame career.
Would not trade Donald even up for Cousins. I understand its a QB driven league, certainly understand that a QB will make more than a DE. But the question is how much more, a few million or several million. Certainly do not fault Donald, the best defensive player in the league for asking for 25 million per year, when Cousins, among, but not the best QB in the league is paid 28 million.
Im sure many will disagree.

You're kind of making the point without seeing that you're making the point. A QB, even if not the best, is worth 28 million because they have more direct impact on every single game than any other position. They are also, even at an average level, difficult to replace.

Let's go back to my Johnny Hekker example. He's better than Cousins. Probably the best punter in the league. If he keeps it up he may even get into the Hall of Fame because he's an effing amazing punter/trick play QB. Should he make 28 million a year? If not, why not?

 

[XXXIVwin]

Some idle questions on my mind....

1. If Belichik was in this situation, would he give $25M per year to AD? Resounding “no”, right?

2. If AD actually holds out into the reg season, he’ll blink before the Rams do, right? A lot would depend on whether the Rams win a few games without him...

3. How many teams out there would offer at least 2 #1’s as well as giving AD what he wants?

4. Will the madness end by Aug. 7?

 

[dang]

Some idle questions on my mind....

1. If Belichik was in this situation, would he give $25M per year to AD? Resounding “no”, right?

2. If AD actually holds out into the reg season, he’ll blink before the Rams do, right? A lot would depend on whether the Rams win a few games without him...

3. How many teams out there would offer at least 2 #1’s as well as giving AD what he wants?

4. Will the madness end by Aug. 7?

 

[dang]

Some idle questions on my mind....

1. If Belichik was in this situation, would he give $25M per year to AD? Resounding “no”, right?

2. If AD actually holds out into the reg season, he’ll blink before the Rams do, right? A lot would depend on whether the Rams win a few games without him...

3. How many teams out there would offer at least 2 #1’s as well as giving AD what he wants?

4. Will the madness end by Aug. 7?

1. They would pay$15m and kraft would find a way to backfire him $10m outside of salary against the cap
2. I don’t see how sitting out a season and getting no $$$ solves anything
3. I could see a desperate team like Cleveland considering it but not doing it in fear of possibly crippling their team for another 5 years.
4. Unless egos get in the way then yes. But not knowing how much influence Donald’s greedy agent has to convince otherwise.

 

[tempests]

Some idle questions on my mind....

1. If Belichik was in this situation, would he give $25M per year to AD? Resounding “no”, right?

No, but he wouldn't have given Gurley or Brandin Cooks those contracts either.

 

[CGI_Ram]

No, but he wouldn't have given Gurley or Brandin Cooks those contracts either.

I don’t know... the Patriots used the franchise tag on Vince Wilfork in 2009 and the next season signed him to a large deal.

https://nesn.com/2010/03/vince-wilfork-inks-fiveyear-40-million-extension-with-patriots/

IMO... every team pays their top players. I think in the Patriots case, they’ve also had a strong roster... so we see them losing good players... which gives the impression they don’t pay.

Our roster has some depth to it now... so WHO you pay is now a larger factor for us than years past.

 

[tempests]

I don’t know... the Patriots used the franchise tag on Vince Wilfork in 2009 and the next season signed him to a large deal.

https://nesn.com/2010/03/vince-wilfork-inks-fiveyear-40-million-extension-with-patriots/

IMO... every team pays their top players. I think in the Patriots case, they’ve also had a strong roster... so we see them losing good players... which gives the impression they don’t pay.

Our roster has some depth to it now... so WHO you pay is now a larger factor for us than years past.

Well he traded away Brandin Cooks, and they favor the RB by committee approach, not having a bell cow back since Corey Dillion. They let LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency....twice.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Well he traded away Brandin Cooks, and they favor the RB by committee approach, not having a bell cow back since Corey Dillion. They let LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency....twice.

Yeah. I wasn’t exactly disputing the point fully. The Patriots do seem to favour a roster with a strong middle, which means allocating less money to those top contracts... saving some for the middle.

I was only making the point, the Patriots keep their best players if they can... even if that means fewer of them.

 

[…..]

Here....hold my beer while I cripple my team.

-Aaron Donald

 

[Kevin]

Then trade him. No way is it worth paying a DT quarterback money. Let someone else do it. It’s great having him, but I’ll take good/not great at 5mil per than 20-25 per. I just can’t wrap my mind around this nonsense.

If our QB was already under a long term deal, cool. But without that locked up. It doesn’t make sense to me.

I don't pre-determine a player's worth based on the position they play; that's ignoring the player's abilities. At times, Donald can ruin the opposing offense's game plan by himself. He can make third and five almost impossible to convert.

He is 27 years old, so I don't think he can get two more big contacts. This is it for him and he wants an enormous contract, maybe with guarantees the teams doesn't want to make. I dunno.