IF Aaron Donald Really Wants QB Money...

[Ramfansince79]

Didn't hold Philly back. Fletcher Cox is playing on a $100 million contract.

$63M is guaranteed. He's playing on a $63M contract.

 

[Ram65]

Not sure I take your meaning there. When it comes to QB contracts, Philly and LA are in the same boat.

Sorry I wasn't clear on that. It's not exactly the same boat.

When the Eagles gave Cox his contract they didn't have/know for sure the future high priced contracts coming up like the Rams do. They just drafted Wentz so if he became a franchise QB they had more time before they had to pay him big money. They also didn't/don't have a running back like Gurley to pay. The point the Rams know they need money/cap space to pay all three Donald, Gurley and Goff.

The Eagles are already restructuring contracts to stay under the cap. Basically moving payments/cap hits to later years. See Johnson and Ertz.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lan.....69i57j0l3.9041j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

That's something the Rams try not to do. Teams can get into cap trouble doing too much of this. They cut Vinnie Currey and let Blount walk. All this without paying Wentz the big money. The Eagles and Howie Roseman are all in and I can't blame them. At least Roseman got Johnson on a reasonable second contract.

 

[Mackeyser]

Look at Suh. He was not worth it. It holds your team back. I loved it when the Niners gave Kappertat stupid money then the Hags did the same with Wilson. Look what happened to them. Now the Niners gave really stupid money to a QB with 7 TDs and 5 ints. Then you have Stafford, big money, what have they ever done.
It is millstones around the necks of GMs.
Just look at Brady, he has always taken less than market value. He is smart. Knows other people have to get paid too. Team has been at the top for a long time.

I agree with you except on one thing.

Brady isn't "taking less money" as if he were some altruist.

Kraft is cheating and funneling money through his "rehab" facility.

So the "Brady takes less than market value" thing is a red herring. He doesn't. He just found a loophole so he can get money that doesn't affect the cap.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Love having Aaron Donald playing for the Rams but not at the cost of sucking up too high a percentage of the cap. I wouldn't shed a tear if he was traded but would much prefer the Rams work out a contract with him that would be beneficial to both sides.

That’s where my head is at.

I know Donald can be disruptive, and he’s amazing, but... he’s one player.

 

[gogoat1]

McVay and Snead need to get Donald, Goff and Gurly into a room and find out where their heads are at. Those 3 players are the young talent the Rams need to build on. If each one of them wants to be paid at the top of their positions the Rams can not have long term success. They need to find a way to stay together.
These players need to let their egos go. They are all going to be rich. Look at the big picture, create a modern Rams dynasty.

 

[bwdenverram]

You're right they're not comparable. Olsen played for 15 years and his record of 14 straight Pro Bowls still stands, with the one he missed being his last season. Donald is on that trajectory, but it's really early still. Let's see how long he plays before we put him in that category.

Sorry, but being able to sustain excellence over that much TIME is important, to myself at least. Good as Donald is, he's got a long ways to go in order to be compared to Merlin. IMO.

Don't argue with you at all brother. Like I said, I love me some Merlin Olsen. So maybe the BEST DT was a little early.
But for sake of argument thus far what he's accomplished is pretty damn impressive. And if we don't pay him there will be a long line of teams that sure will. I just don't think $20M is that bad in today's pay scale. Not for him.. JMO...

BTW- Olsen was 6'5 I believe closer to 290lbs. What AD does at 6'1 and like 280 is just nuts. Against almost all 300 plus lb lineman.

 

[yrba1]

I think the timing of extending Donald will depend on who we pick up at the draft/UDFA and possibly how our roster produces. The suspense of waiting is the only thing breeding frustration in the fanbase

 

[Cullen Bryant]

To be fair, it does matter the position.

Hekker is the best punter in the league. Should he be paid $20MM/yr?

I don't think we will ever have to worry about a punter getting 20mil a year, Hekker should be the highest paid punter ! Donald should be the highest paid DT, which will put him in QB money territory. Or we could trade him for a bunch of picks and be the youngest team in the league forever. Perpetual wait till 2 or 3 years from now mode. But we'll have cap space.

 

[Mojo Ram]

They also aren't paying a franchise QB and a premier running back.

We aren't either.

 

[Ram65]

We aren't either.

The long answer...

Sorry I wasn't clear on that. It's not exactly the same boat.

When the Eagles gave Cox his contract they didn't have/know for sure the future high priced contracts coming up like the Rams do. They just drafted Wentz so if he became a franchise QB they had more time before they had to pay him big money. They also didn't/don't have a running back like Gurley to pay. The point the Rams know they need money/cap space to pay all three Donald, Gurley and Goff.

The Eagles are already restructuring contracts to stay under the cap. Basically moving payments/cap hits to later years. See Johnson and Ertz.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lan.....69i57j0l3.9041j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

That's something the Rams try not to do. Teams can get into cap trouble doing too much of this. They cut Vinnie Currey and let Blount walk. All this without paying Wentz the big money. The Eagles and Howie Roseman are all in and I can't blame them. At least Roseman got Johnson on a reasonable second contract.

The short answer is the Rams will very soon.

 

[Akrasian]

We aren't either.

The point was, I think, that unlike the Eagles, the Rams have major expenses coming up in the next two years. By the time Wentz has the huge cap hit, they actually would be past the worst of the cap hit on Cox's contract, and would actually get huge cap savings if they decided to cut him. Meanwhile the year after AD, the Rams have the current Offensive Player of the Year to pay, and the year after their own franchise QB.

Wouldn't shock me in the least for either Donald or Gurley to be gone at some point, if they both insist on being highest paid by a large margin at their positions.

 

[Mojo Ram]

The short answer is the Rams will very soon.

That's right and so will Philly. When the time comes they'll adjust around the other 50 players on the roster and make it work. So will the Rams.

Pay Donald what he wants.

 

[Akrasian]

Donald should be the highest paid DT, which will put him in QB money territory. Or we could trade him for a bunch of picks and be the youngest team in the league forever. Perpetual wait till 2 or 3 years from now mode. But we'll have cap space.

Or the Rams could use the $20 million + cap hit from Donald plus the picks, and sign multiple players, draft others, so the Rams have depth all over, and go that route to winning now. You can go win now by having a few great players - but if you don't have depth, if you have holes in various spots, you may not win either. Being deep all over isn't a guarantee either, but choosing a path that allows the team to be deep all over is not throwing in the towel - it's deciding in a team sport you can't have 3 players getting a ginormous amount of money, and if the Rams give Donald what he wants, and Gurley, and Goff, then the team will have issues having good players at other positions. The Rams will have to pick their poison, so to speak.

 

[Cullen Bryant]

Or the Rams could use the $20 million + cap hit from Donald plus the picks, and sign multiple players, draft others, so the Rams have depth all over, and go that route to winning now. You can go win now by having a few great players - but if you don't have depth, if you have holes in various spots, you may not win either. Being deep all over isn't a guarantee either, but choosing a path that allows the team to be deep all over is not throwing in the towel - it's deciding in a team sport you can't have 3 players getting a ginormous amount of money, and if the Rams give Donald what he wants, and Gurley, and Goff, then the team will have issues having good players at other positions. The Rams will have to pick their poison, so to speak.

I agree, the Rams could go that route and it may or may not work out but how many vets are you gonna over pay in free agency for that 20 mil ? The more you sign the less talented they will be and a bunch of rookies in key positions isn't conducive to winning now ! Of course there is a breaking point, if Donald was asking for 30mil a year I would play hard ball with him, make him play out his rookie contract and then franchise tag him all while having an offer in the 21 to 23 mil. range. I'm just not interested in trading him right now.

 

[BriansRams]

there has to be a line at which even a player as great as Donald prices himself off the team. At what point is that? If you think paying this guy like a high end QB for 6-7 years won't be detrimental to the team...

This fanotodd fella makes a great point. I agree with him. There HAS TO be some dollar number where Rams say "no way."

Now imagine a blockbuster trade instead.
One that puts the Eric Dickerson trade to shame. Hmmmm.

 

[Cullen Bryant]

This fanotodd fella makes a great point. I agree with him. There HAS TO be some dollar number where Rams say "no way."

Now imagine a blockbuster trade instead.
One that puts the Eric Dickerson trade to shame. Hmmmm.

That wouldn't be hard to do, the Rams blew that trade about as bad as you can blow a trade. A great example of how trading a great player for picks doesn't improve a team. Now if we made a Herschel Walker type deal and drafted like the Cowboys did, maybe.

 

[BriansRams]

That wouldn't be hard to do, the Rams blew that trade about as bad as you can blow a trade. A great example of how trading a great player for picks doesn't improve a team. Now if we made a Herschel Walker type deal and drafted like the Cowboys did, maybe.

I know. By saying "put to shame" I meant don't screw up the picks and don't screw up the player that comes right away with the trade. Say a stud linebacker?

 

[dieterbrock]

They also aren't paying a franchise QB and a premier running back.

Neither are the Rams, this year

 

[JIMERAMS]

That's right and so will Philly. When the time comes they'll adjust around the other 50 players on the roster and make it work. So will the Rams.

Pay Donald what he wants.

if you think we can pay all 3 premier money at the same time your crazy. philly doesn't have a premier back to pay next year either. this team has 2 years and then our players will drop like flies for more money. if we pay AD 25m a year then Gurley 15 to 17m then Goff 25+ AD will be cut anyway in 3 years.

 

[dieterbrock]

if you think we can pay all 3 premier money at the same time your crazy. philly doesn't have a premier back to pay next year either. this team has 2 years and then our players will drop like flies for more money. if we pay AD 25m a year then Gurley 15 to 17m then Golf 25+ AD will be cut anyway in 3 years.

Well if Goff is truly the "franchise QB" we think he is, unfortunately that lessens Gurley's value, to the Rams