IF Aaron Donald Really Wants QB Money...

[BriansRams]

the top guys who deserve it. AD deserves to get paid, but he doesn't deserve to be paid among the top QBs.

100% agree with bold text above. It would hold back the team's ability to sign 2 other very good players per year, for years to come.

 

[bwdenverram]

"Best DT we've ever had"? Easy. There once was a man named Merlin Olsen.
Donald has to put up a few more seasons at this high level before it's even a legitimate conversation.

As for a huge pay day, he deserves it more than anybody who has signed a big contract in the last 2 yrs. Barring injuries, he will be in the HOF one day. I believe that.
...but he never has the ball in his hand. A QB does on every play, barring a trick play or wildcat.

If this guy is gonna get anywhere around $20mil, it has to be short term (3yrs). Anything longer will be more harmful than good.

If they don't come to terms, I think the Rams can get one more year w/o a negative vibe running through the locker room--then they move him. The Rams can do a lotta good w/ $20mil instead of giving it to a DT.
See Talib, Peters, and NRC. Don't they come in for less than $20mil COMBINED?

I love me some Merlin Olsen but he didn't play in the day of all 300lb lineman. He wouldn't do now what he did then.
Sorry, they aren't even comparable, IMO...
And you don't sign guys like this to 3 year deals. If you think AD is that easily replaced I don't know what to tell you.

 

[bwdenverram]

100% agree with bold text above. It would hold back the team's ability to sign 2 other very good players per year, for years to come.

I don't think some of you are being realistic. Tyrod Taylor got $15M a year. Sam friggin Bradford got $20M a year from AZ. You don't think AD should make at least that? $20M for a generational talent is nothing.
I don't even think Cousins is worth $28M but he got it.

 

[gogoat1]

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.

 

[dieterbrock]

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.

Donald is better than Suh by a wide margin

 

[Cullen Bryant]

I hate the defensive tackles don't win championships nonsense, you could say that about any position including QB, Dan Marino never won but I can list a whole bunch of QB's not nearly as good as him that did. It means nothing. You pay players not positions ! Aaron Donald is the best at his position, he's durable, shows up every week and has no character concerns whatsoever. If Donald isn't worth 20+ million a year than no one is. I would hate to lose Donald over money. There is 32 teams in the league and about a 1000 different ways to go about it.

 

[tempests]

Look at Suh. He was not worth it. It holds your team back.

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

 

[dang]

Donald is the defensive leader and should be for another 5 years. Contracts are all about guaranteed $$$. Donald deserves the biggest guaranteed $$$ contract for a defensive player. That means he should get more than Fletcher Cox guarantee of $63M. Also from an ego perspective I bet Aaron Donald agent wants to break the mark for total contract - even if not fully guaranteed. That brings us to something like 5 year $110M with $70M guaranteed. Any thing much less and egos and agents get in the way.

 

[Prime Time]

Can't wait to referee the mammoth thread threads that will pop up here at ROD if Aaron Donald is ever traded.

 

[fanotodd]

I love me some Merlin Olsen but he didn't play in the day of all 300lb lineman. He wouldn't do now what he did then.
Sorry, they aren't even comparable, IMO...
And you don't sign guys like this to 3 year deals. If you think AD is that easily replaced I don't know what to tell you.

Everybody is bigger, stronger, faster today than they were yesterday. You don't know if today's athletes would have been as big, strong, and fast back then just as you don't know if yesterday's players wouldn't be stronger, bigger, or faster today. It's called science/evolution.

All you can do is judge a man by the times in which he lives/plays. When Donald does what he's been doing for 10 years, THEN this will be a legit conversation. That's all I'm saying.

As for replacing Donald, I never said it would be easy or even possible. Why would you go there?

My point is 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...

 

[fanotodd]

I don't think some of you are being realistic. Tyrod Taylor got $15M a year. Sam friggin Bradford got $20M a year from AZ. You don't think AD should make at least that? $20M for a generational talent is nothing.
I don't even think Cousins is worth $28M but he got it.

I don't see why Donald would sign for anything less than $20mil per, but cousins is at $28mil and jimmy g is over $30mil! There are a few others making over $20mil.

So how high should the Rams go? If Donald wants those kinda #s, I'm not so sure the Rams should pay it.

 

[Akrasian]

Can't wait to referee the mammoth thread threads that will pop up here at ROD if Aaron Donald is ever traded.

Can't Wait? Are you implying you want it to happen?

Seriously, there are trades where the Rams would clearly come out ahead if AD were traded - between the return and the savings that could be used to keep players or sign new ones. But they are unlikely to be offered.

 

[dang]

If the Rams were doing a complete rebuild - any trade that significantly helps the rebuild would be in play, HOWEVER, they are not in complete rebuild mode. The Rams are in maintain (what they do well) and improve (what they don't do well) mode. Aaron Donald is clearly the poster-child for the Rams maintain (what they do well) mode. Hell - with improved CBs and better NT - we may see Donald ascend to an even higher level of dominance.

 

[Merlin]

I love me some Merlin Olsen but he didn't play in the day of all 300lb lineman. He wouldn't do now what he did then.
Sorry, they aren't even comparable, IMO...

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.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

I don't think Donald is in a position to demand more than market rate. If he was a fa, sure, but the rams won't pay more than market rate. They don't need to as they hold all the cards. He wants to be the highest paid defensive player? No worries. He wants to be paid like elite qbs? Problems.

.

 

[Akrasian]

.

I don't think Donald is in a position to demand more than market rate. If he was a fa, sure, but the rams won't pay more than market rate. They don't need to as they hold all the cards. He wants to be the highest paid defensive player? No worries. He wants to be paid like elite qbs? Problems.

.

Well, he has options, and is very competitive. If he decides that he should be paid QB level, and is willing to hold out even if it hurts his own bottom line, I could see that happening. I seem to remember last year during the hold out that somebody posted that he couldn't hold out this year, or he'd lose a year of service time and not gain anything (though I can't find that post) but he certainly can refuse to sign a franchise tag until the season is 2/3 over, until he's a free agent or gets his way.

I'm sure some are thinking he would never hurt the team like that. And I'd agree that when he's in camp or with the team, playing games, he is going to go all out, give 100%. It's part of his competitive nature. But last year when he held out, and everybody knew he was not going to get the big contract then, he still held out a few extra days, and officially reported in time to get the game check, but too late to actually be ready to play week one. I think that was a shot across the bow, to warn the Rams that he still had power.

So I guess I'm saying that the power is NOT all in the Rams' hands. Donald can still do things to get what he feels he should.

 

[CGI_Ram]

You pay players not positions !

To be fair, it does matter the position.

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

 

[Ram65]

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

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

 

[tempests]

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

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

 

[Prime Time]

Can't Wait? Are you implying you want it to happen?

Yeah, I should have posted in blue font.

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.