Donald looks for new contract, and is impressed with McVay

Aaron Donald noncommittal on reporting to training camp

Michael David Smith

Aaron Donald noncommittal on reporting to training camp

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald wants a new contract, and he won’t say whether he’ll show up to training camp if he doesn’t get what he wants.

“I’m just working, just grinding and we’ll see what happens,” Donald said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Donald wouldn’t say whether there are any reasons for optimism that a deal will get done.

“I’m just letting my agents handle that,” Donald said. “All I can do is keep working to keep myself in top shape.”

Donald did report to mandatory minicamp despite the absence of a new contract, so it would seem likely that he’d report to training camp as well. But he’s not going to promise that without a new deal in hand.

Vid link:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19776158

Donald frustrated waiting for new deal from Rams Josina Anderson explains why DT Aaron Donald is underpaid and running out of patience with L.A..

zn wrote:

Vid link:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19776158

Donald frustrated waiting for new deal from Rams Josina Anderson explains why DT Aaron Donald is underpaid and running out of patience with L.A..

I can’t believe the Rams haven’t signed Donald yet.

I think they are purposely running the team into the ground to discourage season ticket sales.

Why? Obviously because they want to move the franchise.

Probably to the midwest.

Rams surely want to “pay the man”; the challenge is coming up with the right number

Mike Florio

Rams surely want to “pay the man”; the challenge is coming up with the right number

It’s easy for people like Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers to tell his team to “pay the man” in reference to defensive tackle Aaron Donald. It’s much harder to determine the right dollars and structure of the deal.

The problem arises in large part from the fact that the Donald has two years left on his rookie deal. Which means that the Rams would be assuming the injury risk from Donald for the next 32 regular-season games, plus any postseason games the Rams may play (stop laughing).

It’s one thing for a team to assume the injury risk for a quarterback or a receiver or a cornerback. Linemen are constantly stuck in a scrum of bodies that may or may not result in a broken limb or worse on any given play. So the injury risk is much more real for guys like Donald than it is for players like Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Speaking of Cousins, Donald has a longer path to the year-to-year franchise tag approach that Cousins currently is pursuing, because Donald was picked in round one. He’ll need to play five full years before he’s eligible for the franchise tag for the first time. Then, the Rams could give him a 20-percent raise over the tag for a seventh year before facing the prospect of giving him quarterback money or a 44-percent raise, whichever is higher.

That’s four more seasons before the Rams would have to pay market value to Donald, and at that point he’ll be 30.

“Market value” possibly is the key term here. Donald may be looking at the Ndamukong Suh contract, worth $20 million per year, as reflecting the market value Donald wants to match or beat. But Suh got his money by hitting the market, thanks to a puffed-up franchise tag number (due to the pre-2011 rookie compensation system) that the Lions couldn’t/wouldn’t use. So Suh became a free agent and got true, literal market value.

Donald is at least two years, probably three years, and maybe four years away from that same situation. Thus, the Rams will be reluctant to give Suh money to Donald, especially with two years left on his deal. To get the Rams to assume the injury risk now, Donald necessarily will have to take far less than what he could get if he were hitting the market or, at a minimum, embarking on the franchise-tag path.

I think it is ok to give Suh money to Donald. Look at the Salary Cap over Suh’s contract compared to the Salary Cap that will be there for Donald’s contract.

The Rams can make Donald the highest paid defensive player without messing up the Salary Cap or over paying him. imo

zn wrote:

Vid link:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19776158

Donald frustrated waiting for new deal from Rams Josina Anderson explains why DT Aaron Donald is underpaid and running out of patience with L.A..

I watched the clip and I can’t tell if what they say is true. Has Donald or his agent expressed frustration and said they are running out of patience, or is this created by a B-squad football talk show in July with nothing better to do?

snowman wrote:

Has Donald or his agent expressed frustration and said they are running out of patience, or is this created by a B-squad football talk show in July with nothing better to do?

I;ve seen nothing from Donald that fits what they say about impatience and frustration. So, I think it’s the “nothing better to do” explanation.

It’s hard to watch the NFL network now, or any NFL talk show for that matter. All they have are top ten lists that don’t matter and a lot of uninformed speculation about this and that. I would rather watch reruns of Texas Flip ‘n Move. I might learn how to re-purpose shiplap.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19440137/los-angeles-rams-dl-aaron-donald-missing-otas-negotiating-contract-extension

Donald has been invited to the Pro Bowl each of his three NFL seasons and was first-team All-Pro the past two years. In 2015 and ’16, he was considered the game’s best defensive player, regardless of position, by Pro Football Focus. Last season alone, he led the NFL with 31 quarterback hits, was tied for the lead with 17 tackles for loss, and added eight sacks.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations said the Rams’ cap space in 2017 “isn’t an impediment” with Donald’s contract.

OTC Advanced:Looking at a Potential Extension for Aaron Donald

July 12, 2017 by Neema Hodjat

https://overthecap.com/looking-potential-extension-aaron-donald/#disqus_thread

The Los Angeles Rams suffered a rough homecoming on the field in 2016, finishing up the season with a 4-12 record. That being said, the team has a few key building blocks, starting with stud defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The two-time NFL All Pro selection has not only achieved league-wide consensus as the top defensive tackle in the NFL, but Donald also garners consideration as the overall top football player in the league. To that point, respected football site Pro Football Focus ranked Donald as its #1 overall player for 2017. So it’s fair to assert that the Rams will not allow Donald to leave anytime soon, and the team will be rewarding him with a lucrative extension. Donald skipped the OTA’s this year, sending a clear message to the Rams’ brass that he desires a contract extension prior to the start of the 2017 season. The Rams want to keep their franchise player happy, and it’s a strong bet that he will receive said extension prior to week 1.

As a former first round pick entering his fourth year in 2017, Donald’s contract is subject to a fifth year team option for 2018. In a move that surprised no one, the Rams have already picked up his fifth year option, which will pay Donald $6.892 million in 2018 (guaranteed for injury only). So Donald’s salaries are set for the next two years, but both the team and the player can benefit here by entering into a long term extension that will tie Donald to the Rams for years to come.

Before we move forward with constructing a contract extension for Aaron Donald, note that we have precedent with respect to the Rams extending their first round draft picks prior to the start of their fourth year, and doing so on lucrative terms. First, defensive end (now outside linebacker) Robert Quinn signed a four year, $57 million extension with the team in 2014, just as he was about to play his fourth season with the team. More recently, gadget receiver Tavon Austin signed a four year, $42 million extension with the Rams in 2016, also entering into his fourth season. Both contracts were viewed around the league as overpays, albeit Austin’s contract substantially more so than Quinn’s deal. The takeaways here – the Rams have a history of entering into extensions during a first round pick’s fourth year with the team, and they pay towards the top of the market. Remember this as we move forward.

Now let’s return to the task at hand. When projecting a new contract for a quarterback, you need to look at the contracts of other comparable quarterbacks as the point of reference, and the same deal with wide receivers, cornerbacks, etc. So the next step here is to review recent contracts for top defensive tackles and use those deals as the starting point for Donald – with one caveat. With a generational talent such as Donald, merely looking at the top defensive tackle contracts doesn’t by itself provide you with the information necessary to reach a deal. In this case, Donald’s proper comps are the deals for the top defensive lineman, with the inclusion of the league’s highest paid non-lineman defensive player (Von Miller) as well, since we’re talking about potentially the league’s best player in Donald. Certainly Donald’s negotiating team will take this approach, and it’s not an unfair position. With that said, we’ll take a look at the contracts for the following three defensive linemen – Ndamukong Suh, JJ Watt and Fletcher Cox – and the aforementioned linebacker Von Miller. The key terms of the contracts for each player are as follows:

Looking at the key terms of the contracts above, we have Ndamukong Suh and Von Miller setting the goal posts with AAVs of just over $19M per season, with Suh’s contract also setting the mark with the highest percentage of cap at time of signing (13.30%). JJ Watt’s deal comes in a bit lower than Suh and Miller, but it’s important to note that Watt never hit free agent status, unlike Suh, nor did he complete his contract as Miller did (albeit with Miller receiving the franchise tag prior to negotiating his new deal). Watt entering into an extension prior to hitting free agency explains why his contract numbers are lower, despite universally being considered the league’s best defensive player as recently as two years ago. Fletcher Cox is an outstanding player in his own right, but he trails a bit in league standing in comparison to the other three players here. This, plus the fact that he also entered into an extension, explains why Cox’s contract lags behind the rest of the group.

Now assuming Donald enters into an extension this year, we know that he will not be hitting free agency at the time he receives his second contract, as he has (i) the last base year of his rookie contract in 2017, (ii) the team option in 2018 and (iii) the franchise tag hovering over him for 2019. This means that Donald’s bargaining power, while powerful, is not unlimited. We’ll take a closer look at what exactly this means in the next paragraph. On the flip side, Donald has no less cache than Suh, Watt and Miller had when signing their deals, so it’s safe to expect that his numbers will comfortably surpass Cox’s contract and slot in closer to Suh and Miller. Donald’s contract status most closely resembles Watt’s, and as such, Watt’s contract remains highly relevant with respect to the cap percentage and deal structure, just with a slightly outdated AAV with the extension having been signed three years ago.

Let’s take a close look at the one key piece of leverage for the Rams – who need whatever leverage they have to keep extension terms within the stratosphere. Donald remains subject to his rookie contract, and thereby under Rams control, for at least the next three years per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Specifically, Donald’s subject to the following salaries:

2017 salary: $1,802,250
2018 salary: $6,892,000 (fifth year team option)
2019 salary (est.): $16,000,000 (estimated defensive tackle franchise tag value for 2019)*

The Rams could actually control Donald’s salary for 2020 as well by slapping the franchise tag on him for a second year in a row, which would come at 120% of the 2019 value. However, for purposes of this article, we’ll keep it simple and consider Donald’s contract subject to Rams’ control for the next three years. What this means is that the Rams can hardwire Donald’s cost for the next three years at a total fixed amount equaling roughly $24 million. This point likely will, or at least should, keep Donald from eclipsing Ndamukong Suh’s numbers, even though Donald is by most accounts considered the superior player.

Having considered the Rams’ period of contractual control, along with Donald’s comps around the league and his status as a generational player, let’s move ahead and work out an extension for Donald. Factoring in the collective points, reasonable terms for Donald’s extension would be as follows:

Donald’s proposed numbers don’t match the cap percentage or fully guaranteed dollars for Suh, but as explained above, that’s to be expected since Donald is years away from free agency. However, his AAV exceeds that of Suh, since the cap has gone up substantially since Suh signed his deal. Donald’s deal compares closely to that of Von Miller, slightly ahead on AAV and cap percentage. Cox’s deals is left in the rear view mirror by Donald’s extension terms, which is to be expected – no disrespect to Cox. We’ll explore how Donald’s contract compares to JJ Watt momentarily.

First, Donald’s cash flow through 2023, with his existing deal plus the proposed contract extension in hand would be as follows:

This deal puts $12 million into Donald’s bank account immediately via the signing bonus ($10 million) and roster bonus ($2 million), and the extension portion of the contract elevates him to the throne for highest non-QB AAV. Note that with respect to 2017, the prorated signing bonus from the extension ($2 million) has been added to the carryover signing bonus amount from Donald’s rookie deal. In addition, be aware that the signing bonus can only be prorated a maximum of five years, so 2022 and 2013 won’t be subject to signing bonus proration. Donald’s base salaries from 2017 and 2018 remain intact, but with a running cash flow of more than $30 million even before the extension years kick in. Both the base salary guarantees and the resulting dead money charges make this a de facto guaranteed contract through 2020, and then a pay-as-you-go structure for the last three years. The $2 million roster bonus in 2021, in this case to be due in March, should cause the Rams to make an early decision on whether or not to keep Donald for the 2021 season. This helps protect Donald from having to look for another team post-free agency, when most teams have already spent their cap allotments.

JJ Watt’s contract is the most relevant comparison to Donald’s pact, as the extension would come at the same juncture of Donald’s career with respect to the collective bargaining agreement (fourth year to be played, fifth year team option to be applied, etc.), and Watt carried the moniker or “best defensive player in NFL” during negotiation time, as Donald does now. Under this proposed deal, the cap percentage for the players’ deals are nearly identical, with Watt’s deal at 12.53% and Donald’s at 12.57%. And as you can see below with the cash flow, strictly with respect to money from the extensions (i.e. no carryover from the first NFL contracts), Watt and Donald get paid as follows:

Comparing the cash numbers, Watts actually has the more favorable numbers up through Year 2, once you factor in the difference in cap percentage from 2014 versus 2017. Donald’s payout wins from Year 3 on, and especially so if he gets to see the last two years of his deal. This deal actually works out nicely for both Donald and the Rams – Donald can rightly claim that his yearly payout exceeded that of Watt, while the team can take solace in the fact that they’re paying less from a cap percentage standpoint to Donald in the early years, with the ability to cut Donald with minimal problems in the last three years of the deal.

One quick but important point to note with long term extensions such as this one is the necessity to comply with the final league year rule. The relevant provision in the CBA essentially states that for any player under contract in the final league year (in this case 2020) and whose contract extends beyond that season, the player cannot earn a salary increase of more than 30% of his 2020 salary. This especially becomes a factor with superstar players such as Donald, where the deals stretch out for several years, and the last few years of such deals often contain large salaries. Looking at the proposed terms above, this contract is in compliance with the final league year rule, since 1) Donald’s 2021 salary of $15 million is within 30% of his 2020 salary of $12 million, 2) Donald’s 2022 salary of $18 million is within 30% of his 2021 salary, and 3) Donald’s 2023 salary of $19 million is within 30% of his 2022 salary. This provision does make it much harder to backload salaries in the last few years of the deal (where in many cases it’s not expected for the player to earn such salaries). The final league year rule is an important side issue to be aware of with NFL contracts, and in this case the proposed terms are compliant with the rule.

There you have it – this deal represents a fair pact for both Donald and the Rams. Donald will be set for life with top of the market terms, which is great considering he’s still years away before he can hit unrestricted free agency. For the Rams, the team receives cost certainty and pays out on a fair contract that also accounts for the team’s control of Donald’s contract through the next three years. Also, . As the Rams prepare to rebuild their fan base in Los Angeles before moving into the new Inglewood palace in 2020, it’s imperative that Donald’s tenure be set with the team for years to come. This extension benefits all parties involved.

OTC Advanced:Looking at a Potential Extension for Aaron Donald

July 12, 2017 by Neema Hodjat

Finally a sensible post on Donald’s contract. I would go 120 million for 6yrs instead of 100 million for 5yrs. Remember too, with the increasing Salary Cap, it is not big thing if does surpass Suh. imo I think you can also go with rating Donald as the best player on the defense instead of the best DT.