Aaron Donald. Are the Rams thinking of trading him?

[Mark80]

8 hours ago, whatdrought said:

 

I just don’t understand how the franchise tag is acceptable to anyone??

 

 

Well, owners love it because they are not tied to an expensive long term deal.  Players thought they would love it because they would be highly paid when it was utilized.  I don't think he player's foresaw they owners using i so much though or 2 years in a row on the same guy and now they are regretting it after seeing how it played out.  I think it will be revisited in the next round of CBA negotiations for sure and will be a huge bargaining chip for the owners to get something else they want more.  Probably their biggest one.

[GunnerBill]

44 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Is Carr in a contract year? If so maybe they have to tag Carr. That would make Mack a free man! 

 

Carr has signed. 

[ColoradoBills]

45 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Is Carr in a contract year? If so maybe they have to tag Carr. That would make Mack a free man! 

 

Carr just signed a big contract.  He is not a FA until 2023.

[dave mcbride]

2 hours ago, Commonsense said:

36 year old LT who single handily has the most impact of any olineman in the entire NFL last season. 

 

Gurley got paid.

 

Marcus Peters contract jumps up next season because it’s his fifth year option and he will need a LTD soon.

 

Goff will cash in.

 

Talib is at 11/m this year then 8/m next year. That’s money spend and well worth it. 

 

They can’t pay Peters, Goff, Donald, Joyner etc.

 

 

Donald is a better player than Whitworth, who is still good. He's also better and more impactful than every other player here outside of Goff. Indeed, he's probably the best defensive lineman in the league, and he gets to the qb too (40 sacks in 4 seasons). Spending money on a borderline-unhinged thug like Peters over Donald seems crazy to me. 

1 hour ago, Commonsense said:

He is a great player, it’s a tough decision no doubt about it. I just see all that talent and I’m not limiting my cap for a DT. He was on the field when the Falcons held the ball for 38 minutes in the playoff game. 

 

I suggest looking at this. Note Whitworth. https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/07/nfl-los-angeles-rams-falcons-playoffs-pro-football-focus-grades/

 

Donald had 11 pressures!

 

Edited August 3, 2018 by dave mcbride

[billsfan_34]

46 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Carr just signed a big contract.  He is not a FA until 2023.

Damn, I must get my head out of the gutter ?

[LABILLBACKER]

10 hours ago, RocCityRoller said:

I believe the Bills have a better chance at Mack than this scenario for all the reasons I've posted elsewhere. Darnold is going nowhere, but Mack is in play.

Mack is the target of we can swing it.

[Tipster19]

If there is any accuracy to Astro’s tweet about Van Nuys than I hope that it’s for Donald. 

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, Tipster19 said:

If there is any accuracy to Astro’s tweet about Van Nuys than I hope that it’s for Donald. 

 

[BuffaloBaumer]

11 minutes ago, Tipster19 said:

If there is any accuracy to Astro’s tweet about Van Nuys than I hope that it’s for Donald. 

 

It's funny enough that a meaningless tweet created 20 pages on the other thread, let's not bring it into this one with Donald being the target now.....

[wppete]

I want Mack over any other player.

[billsfan89]

On 8/3/2018 at 12:39 AM, RocCityRoller said:

I believe the Bills have a better chance at Mack than this scenario for all the reasons I've posted elsewhere. Darnold is going nowhere, but Mack is in play.

 

Agreed, the Rams are in more of a win-now mode than the Raiders. The whole Rams defense hinges on Darnold generating massive pressure up the middle (They don't really have great edge rushers.) The Rams have too much invested into this season trading away a lot of picks for win-now talent, they aren't going to tank their defense by trading Darnold. The Raiders have a mentality that their defense was bad with Mack so they can be bad without Mack. Thus I could see a scenario where if a boatload of picks were offered the Raiders would be willing to part with Mack.

[ALF]

Les Snead on Aaron Donald contract talks: 'We're in the same zip code'

 

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/08/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-holdout-contract-les-snead/

[billsfan89]

On 8/3/2018 at 10:59 AM, dave mcbride said:

Donald is a better player than Whitworth, who is still good. He's also better and more impactful than every other player here outside of Goff. Indeed, he's probably the best defensive lineman in the league, and he gets to the qb too (40 sacks in 4 seasons). Spending money on a borderline-unhinged thug like Peters over Donald seems crazy to me. 

I suggest looking at this. Note Whitworth. https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/07/nfl-los-angeles-rams-falcons-playoffs-pro-football-focus-grades/

 

Donald had 11 pressures!

 

 

Donald might be the best defensive player in the league. The Rams have a lot of players to play in the future but I they could front load the deals for the first two years so that Geoff and Peters contracts won't be up for renewal until 2 years from now. I would also imagine that Talib and Whitworth would be significant contracts that come off the books once you have to pay Geoff and Peters. 

 

My overall impression is that the two most important players for the Rams are Geoff as the key piece on the offense and Donald as the centerpiece for the defense. Every other player on the team is more expendable than those two.

[Juice_32]

2 minutes ago, ALF said:

Les Snead on Aaron Donald contract talks: 'We're in the same zip code'

 

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/08/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-holdout-contract-les-snead/

 

Did he happen to mention anything about the zip code being 14127?

[blacklabel]

On 8/3/2018 at 9:31 AM, thenorthremembers said:

 

Total contract is one thing, but the per year numbers would speak to a much different scenario.

 

The three highest paid by year wideouts are

Brown- 17/yr

Evans- 16.5/yr

Hopkins 16.2/yr

 

Defensive Tackles

Cox 17.1/yr

Short 16.1/yr

Dareus 15.85/yr

 

So, I think its closer than we think.   In terms of what 3-4 Defensive Tackles make a year (the scheme Donald is currently in) Michael Brockers is the highest paid guy at 11.083/yr

 

My chart is attempting to show that when comparing the players you mentioned in your previous post, the Wideouts meant more in terms of success in the playoffs.  Lot of variables there, most notably quarterback. 

 

Yikes, that Dareus contract. I'm surprised we haven't heard news outta Jacksonville that they asked him to restructure and take a pay-cut. He's not even seeing like, 60% of the snaps there. He's rotational now whereas he used to be a full-time starter. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Dareus because of all the tragedy that's surrounded him his whole life. But, at a certain point, he's gotta decide whether he really wants to play ball and keep his nose clean or continue to be a knucklehead and get himself in trouble. Hopefully he focuses on the former but who knows anymore. Could be one of the best DTs in the league if he could just keep himself motivated.

[26CornerBlitz]

13 minutes ago, Juice_32 said:

 

Did he happen to mention anything about the zip code being 14127?

 

They are going to trade Kyle, Star, and Horrible Harry for Donald.    Announcement at halftime.

[thenorthremembers]

7 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

 

Yikes, that Dareus contract. I'm surprised we haven't heard news outta Jacksonville that they asked him to restructure and take a pay-cut. He's not even seeing like, 60% of the snaps there. He's rotational now whereas he used to be a full-time starter. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Dareus because of all the tragedy that's surrounded him his whole life. But, at a certain point, he's gotta decide whether he really wants to play ball and keep his nose clean or continue to be a knucklehead and get himself in trouble. Hopefully he focuses on the former but who knows anymore. Could be one of the best DTs in the league if he could just keep himself motivated.

 

I feel for the guy in terms of the loss he has suffered in his life, grief is a heavy thing.  However, it's just one thing in a long list of terrible things people deal with in life.   That said, Dareus is 28 years old, he will have his whole life to grow up and make amends, seek forgiveness etc.  But the time to play ball is slowly dwindling.

[Happy]

48 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

They are going to trade Kyle, Star, and Horrible Harry for Donald.    Announcement at halftime.

 

That would be terrible.  I see the sarcasm...

[BADOLBILZ]

On 8/3/2018 at 5:15 AM, GunnerBill said:

 

Donald is the ACTUAL best defensive player in the NFL.  I would take him 100 days out of 100.  

 

 

Yeah he was a prime example of guy teams talk themselves out of drafting........despite the fact that he was probably the toughest DL to block to enter the draft in a decade.

 

I couldn't stir much interest in him here........but in fairness some of that was the lack of the Bills NEED on the DL and most fans only focus on patching on-paper needs at draft time.

[baskingridgebillsfan]

he would be a perfect fit for our defense but i don;t get the feeling the Rams are trading him.  Mack on the other hand is slightly possible.  Gruden has a history of trading hold outs and do the Raiders have the funds to pop 80 million is escrow to cover the guarantee ? 

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah he was a prime example of guy teams talk themselves out of drafting........despite the fact that he was probably the toughest DL to block to enter the draft in a decade.

 

I couldn't stir much interest in him here........but in fairness some of that was the lack of the Bills NEED on the DL and most fans only focus on patching on-paper needs at draft time.

 

I loved Donald. Also loved Shazier in that draft. They both went lower than they should have by my board but then again 2014 was a decent draft class in fairness. I was a Mike Evans > Sammy Watkins guy. 

 

Donald is the guy. Who knows what JJ Watt comes back like but if I am the Rams there isn't a defensive player in the league I would take over Aaron Donald. He is the definition of a game wrecker. 

[C.Biscuit97]

No.  Teams don’t trade the best players in their position unless they are old; have an injury; or have legal trouble.  

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I loved Donald. Also loved Shazier in that draft. They both went lower than they should have by my board but then again 2014 was a decent draft class in fairness. I was a Mike Evans > Sammy Watkins guy. 

 

Donald is the guy. Who knows what JJ Watt comes back like but if I am the Rams there isn't a defensive player in the league I would take over Aaron Donald. He is the definition of a game wrecker. 

I was also a Evans guy.  Part of the reason I hated Johnny Manziel.  His job in college was so easy.

 

i also do wonder as much of a moron Winston is, how Sammy would have done with him as his qb.

[Paulus]

They offered to make him the top paid player on defense, I believe. I wouldn't say they are planning on trading him, but prepared for the possibility.

[blacklabel]

5 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

 

I feel for the guy in terms of the loss he has suffered in his life, grief is a heavy thing.  However, it's just one thing in a long list of terrible things people deal with in life.   That said, Dareus is 28 years old, he will have his whole life to grow up and make amends, seek forgiveness etc.  But the time to play ball is slowly dwindling.

 

Exactly. He could be great, he's just not very self-motivated. He probably doesn't have a real high level of passion for the game, plays because he knows he can get paid doing it. For all intents and purposes, he's not a bad guy, he's just not a real good decision-maker. Kyle Williams always talked him up when he was still here and Kyle is one of those vets that any young player on any team should wanna learn from. I'm sure Kyle tried to reach him and help him straighten out but at the end of the day, most of the off-field trouble Dareus has had comes solely from bonehead decisions he makes. He's had a rough life but unlike most people who have had similar upbringings, he's in a position now where he's no longer a victim of circumstance. He brings the trouble on himself. Rough life or not, it's tough to keep rooting for a guy that keeps burning through every break he gets.

[blacklabel]

And from what I can gather based on the information that's out there, the Rams don't want to meet Donald's demands because he's not on the field for every defensive snap. According to Pro Football Reference, Donald was on the field for 73% of all Rams defensive plays for 2017. But really, aside from Watt and maybe a couple other guys I can't think of, what DT is out there for every single snap? Every team has a rotation and even though Donald is a monster, he still needs a breather now and then. I dunno, if I'm the Rams I think I'd pay the guy.

[GunnerBill]

46 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

And from what I can gather based on the information that's out there, the Rams don't want to meet Donald's demands because he's not on the field for every defensive snap. According to Pro Football Reference, Donald was on the field for 73% of all Rams defensive plays for 2017. But really, aside from Watt and maybe a couple other guys I can't think of, what DT is out there for every single snap? Every team has a rotation and even though Donald is a monster, he still needs a breather now and then. I dunno, if I'm the Rams I think I'd pay the guy.

 

The 73% is a skewed number. He held out last year too and so wasn't ready to go week 1 and was on a pitch count week 2 as a result. He was then rested week 17 with the playoffs in mind. So 73% of total defensive snaps when you missed two whole games and are intentionally lightly used in another is a pretty high figure. On a normal game week he doesn't rotate out much at all. 

[Beast]

On 8/3/2018 at 5:45 AM, thenorthremembers said:

Aaron Donald is a great player.  Can you name me one defensive tackle who got a huge contract, continued to do well, and whose play vaulted their team to contention?

 

There may be one, but the players who come to mind for me are Haynesworth, Dareus and Suh.

 

Reggie White....in case nobody brought him up.

[Alphadawg7]

Donald is going no where, Rams and him are getting closer and they won't be moving him.  Mack has a better chance since its getting bitter there, but here in LA lots of buzz about how they are having productive conversations.  Where as Mack and Raiders aren't even talking.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

5 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Donald is going no where, Rams and him are getting closer and they won't be moving him.  Mack has a better chance since its getting bitter there, but here in LA lots of buzz about how they are having productive conversations.  Where as Mack and Raiders aren't even talking.

 

...McVay>Chuckie by a country mile......

[Putin]

Mack is a beast who wouldn’t want a player like that on this defense , 

I just think a 1st round pick and $115 million contract is a little high , 

for the same investment > OL  a 1st round pick + $115 million in free agency we can have a wall/OL where Allen can have a chance to make plays and NOT run for his life or get killed , and BTW Allen imo should be our FIRST priority, 

I think it’s time to think ? offense 

 

Edited August 9, 2018 by Putin

[Alphadawg7]

16 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...McVay>Chuckie by a country mile......

 

Agreed...although I am less pessimistic as many are on Gruden as the Raiders coach.  He is coming into a good situation offense wise which is his strong suit.  His biggest mistake as a HC was his decisions that cost him the trust of the locker room in Washington.  Gruden I think is smart enough to learn from that and also having been around players in a different light as an analyst instead of a coach I think will also help him build a better relationship with his players.  Lots to prove still, and I get the pessimistic views, but I think he went to about as good a situation as he could have hoped for to potentially find success.  

 

But McVay right now for me is one the better coaches in the NFL already.  I have a very high opinion of him and he is one of the rising stars of the NFL coaching ranks.  Him, Pederson, and our own McD I think are all fast rising stars of the coaching ranks, but now its about sustained success for them before they make the HC elite officially.  

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

10 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Agreed...although I am less pessimistic as many are on Gruden as the Raiders coach.  He is coming into a good situation offense wise which is his strong suit.  His biggest mistake as a HC was his decisions that cost him the trust of the locker room in Washington.  Gruden I think is smart enough to learn from that and also having been around players in a different light as an analyst instead of a coach I think will also help him build a better relationship with his players.  Lots to prove still, and I get the pessimistic views, but I think he went to about as good a situation as he could have hoped for to potentially find success.  

 

But McVay right now for me is one the better coaches in the NFL already.  I have a very high opinion of him and he is one of the rising stars of the NFL coaching ranks.  Him, Pederson, and our own McD I think are all fast rising stars of the coaching ranks, but now its about sustained success for them before they make the HC elite officially.  

 

...McVay is an "up and coming youngin' " who has enjoyed success early on.....yet he is respectful and humble, hardly seeking the spotlight to boast...Chuckie on the other hand, still thinks he's the greatest invention since beer...BUT...he's like that old can of Rolling Rock you found WAAAAAY back in the fridge dated 2000.....outdated and STALE....

[Alphadawg7]

Just now, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...McVay is an "up and coming youngin' " who has enjoyed success early on.....yet he is respectful and humble, hardly seeking the spotlight to boast...Chuckie on the other hand, still thinks he's the greatest invention since beer...BUT...he's like that old can of Rolling Rock you found WAAAAAY back in the fridge dated 2000.....outdated and STALE....

 

Not laughing at you, laughing at your joke...nice pun.  Yeah, Gruden has a lot to prove, I do think he's young enough and been around the game enough to adjust.  I think he's in the best situation to find success, but again, he has a lot to prove.  He ruined that locker room in Washington and lost it.  But, we will see if he learned from his mistakes that stemmed from exactly what you said, him thinking he's the greatest 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Not laughing at you, laughing at your joke...nice pun.  Yeah, Gruden has a lot to prove, I do think he's young enough and been around the game enough to adjust.  I think he's in the best situation to find success, but again, he has a lot to prove.  He ruined that locker room in Washington and lost it.  But, we will see if he learned from his mistakes that stemmed from exactly what you said, him thinking he's the greatest 

 

...nope....you're laughing WITH me.....I would never think otherwise...you're a damn good guy and great to follow here....

3 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Not laughing at you, laughing at your joke...nice pun.  Yeah, Gruden has a lot to prove, I do think he's young enough and been around the game enough to adjust.  I think he's in the best situation to find success, but again, he has a lot to prove.  He ruined that locker room in Washington and lost it.  But, we will see if he learned from his mistakes that stemmed from exactly what you said, him thinking he's the greatest 

 

...don't think Chuckie was ever in Deadskinsville.....brother Jon, yes.......

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...nope....you're laughing WITH me.....I would never think otherwise...you're a damn good guy and great to follow here....

 

Exactly, laughing with you at your funny pun and joke.  Thank bud, and right back at ya!!!  I enjoy your commentary too! 

[blacklabel]

On 8/9/2018 at 5:35 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

The 73% is a skewed number. He held out last year too and so wasn't ready to go week 1 and was on a pitch count week 2 as a result. He was then rested week 17 with the playoffs in mind. So 73% of total defensive snaps when you missed two whole games and are intentionally lightly used in another is a pretty high figure. On a normal game week he doesn't rotate out much at all. 

 

Good call. If that's what's keeping the Rams from meeting his demands then they're not too bright.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Rams signed DT Aaron Donald to a six-year, $135 million extension through 2024.

 

At $22.5 million per year in new money, Donald is now the league's highest-paid defensive player. He's well worth it after winning Defensive Player of the Year honors last season and being named a first-team All Pro each of the last three seasons. Donald has 39 sacks through four seasons and has established himself as the premier interior lineman in the NFL. With Donald's situation resolved, the Rams are pretty well set moving forward. Todd Gurley was also locked up this summer.

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

Aug 31 - 12:10 PM