(Poll) Should Rams Trade Aaron Donald?

[Fatbot]

What I don't understand is how Denver does their contracts.

The beauty is there's no one recipe for success in the NFL. The underrated part of Denver was Wade took a 5th round castoff and another 6th round pick and morphed/schemed them into some of the best middle linebacker play in the league. So you had Trevathan and B.Marshall leading the team in tackles, stuffing the run, etc. which allowed the elite pass rushers go nuts -- with cap hits of $1.5m and $585,000, respectively (or combined less than Tru makes in one game.) Then when it was time for Trevathan to cash in on his performance, the Broncos let him walk. But by then they had the SB trophy because they hit on the right salary cap ingredients for that one year that mattered.

Teams are gonna be imperfect and do things that look on the surface like crazy overpaying to one guy or losing an "irreplaceable" guy, but the key is how things like timing, personnel planning, and yes even a nice bit of luck play into the bigger overall cap picture. That said, put me down in the "no trade" column and I think the Rams should give AD the highest contract in the NFL. In two years after the cap keeps going up and other players sign bigger deals, it will not seem as crazy.

 

[dieterbrock]

Like others have said, DTs dont win SBs. I dont think 20M to any player at any position outside of a franchise QB is a good allocation of cap dollars.

Warren Sapp disagrees

 

[So Ram]

Warren Sapp disagrees

That's what the Raiders thought.

 

[dieterbrock]

That's what the Raiders thought.

He wasn't 26 when the Raiders signed him

 

[Jorgeh0605]

I said no but my contingency is if he continues to hold out. All this talk about DTs and winning superbowls, you know what definitely doesn't win superbowls? A player holdout. Real simple, if he isn't on the field and misses actual games we should trade him so we at least get some value.

 

[Ram65]

I stated earlier the Rams should consider any reasonable offers with a top level offensive line involved.

I still can't vote Yes or No. It's not that simple.

If Donald wants his cake and to eat it too that makes very hard to get a deal done. If a total of120M extending the existing deal to total of 6 years is the offer, it sounds reasonable. If Donald wants a 3 year out and possible even more money too then that really makes the Rams give up too much. Where is this going? If he sits out till game 11 nobody wins. It does not seem like an end is in sight.

Edited forgot the not

 

[Adi]

No ! He is a generational talent , has the ability to be one of the top defensive players of all time. Not to mention we have not even seen him on the field under this defense , i think they will be elite this season once he comes back.
Not to mention what would they trade for ? Depth chart is pretty stacked right now

 

[LACHAMP46]

You guys are literally debating trading away Merlin Olsen/Deacon Jones/Jack Youngblood....in their primes....

Are we fucking crazy?!?!?

hell no....and sign him already....I'm reading he turned down 6-$120 million....make it 5-$118 million....get er done Kevin D.!!!!

 

[Riverumbbq]

The beauty is there's no one recipe for success in the NFL. The underrated part of Denver was Wade took a 5th round castoff and another 6th round pick and morphed/schemed them into some of the best middle linebacker play in the league. So you had Trevathan and B.Marshall leading the team in tackles, stuffing the run, etc. which allowed the elite pass rushers go nuts -- with cap hits of $1.5m and $585,000, respectively (or combined less than Tru makes in one game.) Then when it was time for Trevathan to cash in on his performance, the Broncos let him walk. But by then they had the SB trophy because they hit on the right salary cap ingredients for that one year that mattered.

Teams are gonna be imperfect and do things that look on the surface like crazy overpaying to one guy or losing an "irreplaceable" guy, but the key is how things like timing, personnel planning, and yes even a nice bit of luck play into the bigger overall cap picture. That said, put me down in the "no trade" column and I think the Rams should give AD the highest contract in the NFL. In two years after the cap keeps going up and other players sign bigger deals, it will not seem as crazy.

Except that in 2 years we will also have guys like Gurley & Goff to add to the bottom line as well as any number of other young vets looking for their first big payday.
If Donald had already propelled the Rams to a Super Bowl win, or even a good play-off run, i'd be inclined to pay to keep him on, but teams that have done nothing paying huge sums to say they have a top two or three player at his position on the payroll seems detrimental to overall team growth. Orlando Pace made sense at the time because he had 2 Super Bowl appearances at the age which Donald is today. And Pace's efficiency declined following his big pay-off.

My first choice on this matter is to do nothing for 3 years, let Donald play out his two remaining years on his contract and then franchise tag him for 2019. If Donald continues to play as expected, as an elite player, trade him in 2020 as a 2'nd year tagged player, receiving two first round picks as compensation. Instead of being on the hook for a Suh like $114 mil. + contract, your cost is closer to $28.mil for 3 years. Even if Donald chooses to hold out for the first 8 games of 2017 & 2018, he's a complete bargain, and you know you will have a healthy player available should you be engaged in a late season play-off run. If you still feel you must have him after 3 more years, negotiate then.
My 2'nd choice, should Donald hold out for the entire season, which would be ridiculous on his part, is to get serious about listening to trade offers. If he were franchised, his value would be in the two 1'st round draft pick range, but Donald today should only start at such a premium and go up from there. jmo.

 

[thirteen28]

I said no but my contingency is if he continues to hold out. All this talk about DTs and winning superbowls, you know what definitely doesn't win superbowls? A player holdout. Real simple, if he isn't on the field and misses actual games we should trade him so we at least get some value.

A most sensible answer. The arguments about not trading away a generational/HOF-worth talent are sound, and I completely agree with them. But the soundness of those arguments evaporates if said generational/HOF-worthy talent refuses to take the field for our team. His workouts at home will do the Rams about as much good as Tre Mason's did.

Granted, we could hang onto his rights just to spite him, but ultimately that would do the team no good. So if it comes to an absolute, irreconcilable impasse, then yes, trade him and get everything you can.

I wish I could be optimistic, but based on the rumors we are hearing, it doesn't seem like Donald wants to be reasonable right now. The Rams have publicly acknowledged multiple times that Donald deserves a pay raise, yet all we hear for rumors is that a) Donald turned down a "substantial" offer, and b) he wants a 3-year opt out clause, which would be insane for the Rams to do, especially if there is lots of guaranteed money.

 

[jacktheripper85]

No ! He is a generational talent , has the ability to be one of the top defensive players of all time. Not to mention we have not even seen him on the field under this defense , i think they will be elite this season once he comes back.
Not to mention what would they trade for ? Depth chart is pretty stacked right now

Exactly. Guy is a future Hall of Famer and a game changer. Trading him would be like the Giants, Packers or Ravens trading LT, Reggie White or Ray Lewis in their primes. Not to mention that with a real offense in place and the fact that the defense won't be spent by halftime he will be even more impactful.

 

[iamme33]

The Patriots have been "good" about dumping players not named Tom Brady that might have big contracts coming, and replacing them with rookies or cheap former star FA's...

seems like I remember brady redoing his contract a couple times so they could sign other important players

 

[Loyal]

seems like I remember brady redoing his contract a couple times so they could sign other important players

He probably did that....but he probably still got the money another way. Brady has had so many major deals that he's probably richer than Oprah..

 

[jrry32]

Cousins in his last 20 games has blossomed into an elite QB. He is killing defenses and doesn't have the weapons he would have with the Rams. He knows this system inside out.

Goff can be really good. Cousins is already elite. I'd do that deal.

1. Cousins is not elite. He's not even close to elite. He's a good QB.
2. Cousins threw 18 TDs to 19 Ints over his first three years in the NFL and was a fourth round pick.
3. Goff was the #1 overall pick.
4. McVay was the OC who helped Cousins turn his career around.
5. McVay is now Jared Goff's HC.
6. Why would we not give McVay the chance to work with Goff, a more talented QB than Cousins, to see what he can do?
7. Why would we trade Donald for Cousins when we can get Cousins after the 2017 season if Goff doesn't pan out?(of course, Goff will pan out, so that's not even necessary)

I'm not giving up on Goff, and I'm certainly not giving up on Goff at the expense of Aaron Donald and a 3rd round pick. That's a horrible deal.

 

[ItsonTavon]

I think we should keep AD if he signs with us, and trade him if he doesn't.

 

[jrry32]

I understand your points.
But there's a difference between "big money" and "absurd money." Absurd money weakens the team's future success. Not many defensive players worth absurd money, in my opinion.

Sure, just cutting him, no way! Never happen. Shouldn't ever happen.

But getting a bunch of picks and one already proven stud O-lineman for him? That's conceivable to me.

Just sayin.

No, it doesn't. There aren't even absurd money contracts in the NFL. Look at the MLB and NBA if you want to see absurd money.

Reality is that paying Donald $20 million per year is the equivalent of handing out long-term deals to Matt Kalil and Ronald Leary.

If you look at the extensions that we gave Brockers and Quinn, they actually add up to more per year when combined than Donald would likely make. Nobody is saying that the Rams are weakened because of the Brockers and Quinn contracts.

I'd much rather pay Donald "absurd money" than pay "big money" to above average/good players in FA. Yet, some here seem to want to save money on Donald in order to spend it in FA on worse players. And, of course, players who hit FA are generally flawed (whether it's underachievement, durability issues, character problems, age, etc.).

 

[Merlin]

There is a point where Donald could force the Rams to trade him. Only the Rams know what that point would be of course, and only Donald knows if he's willing to push it that far, but it's possible.

Still hope something gets done. Barring that play hardball with him, fine. But if he holds out until week 8 then I think they need to ask if keeping him around is the best decision for the TEAM. We Not Me.

IMO this organization is going to win with their current trajectory. Trading Donald would suck but it would not alter that trajectory; they're still going to win regardless of whether he's there.

 

[LesBaker]

1. Cousins is not elite. He's not even close to elite. He's a good QB.
Cousins is currently lighting up the NFL.
2. Cousins threw 18 TDs to 19 Ints over his first three years in the NFL and was a fourth round pick.
His first three years don't mean a thing, he has evolved into an elite QB. Go Look at his last season and a half, not his first few years when he was in and out of the lineup. Look at what he is doing now.

Tom Brady was a 6th round pick, what does Cousins being picked in the 4th have to do with what he is currently accomplishing in the NFL?

3. Goff was the #1 overall pick.'
So was Jamarcus Russel.

4. McVay was the OC who helped Cousins turn his career around.
I hope he does, but if the Redskins said they want Donald and will hand over Cousins like I said I do that deal in a heartbeat.

5. McVay is now Jared Goff's HC.
6. Why would we not give McVay the chance to work with Goff, a more talented QB than Cousins, to see what he can do?
7. Why would we trade Donald for Cousins when we can get Cousins after the 2017 season if Goff doesn't pan out?(of course, Goff will pan out, so that's not even necessary)
So we pay TWO people on the roster in the low 20MIL each? Noooooooo.

I'm not giving up on Goff, and I'm certainly not giving up on Goff at the expense of Aaron Donald and a 3rd round pick. That's a horrible deal.

I'm not giving up on Goff either, I want him to work out and be fantastic. But if the Redskins call and I'm the GM I pick up the phone and try to work out a deal.

 

[Ramstien]

I am sick of these guys having a few good years and then trying to break the bank. No matter how many millions they get it never seems to be enough. I would not have a problem if the Rams moved on without him. Like I've stated before they were 4 & 12 with him, do you really believe they will be any worst without him. I'm going to get mine, me first mentality has no place on this team.

 

[TexasRam]

If a trade was even possible it seems highly highly unlikely, since a team would have to guarantee his agent the new contract and a team would have to part with an unprecedented amount of picks and players that satisfies the Rams demands who hold All the leverage.

If possible I would require a pro bowl lineman and 2 first rounders as starting discussion points as my minimum.

We are going to need to replace some of our aging lineman soon including Whitworth.