The Los Angeles Rams ended 18 months of contract negotiations on Friday by giving defensive tackle Aaron Donald a record contract, which is a six-year extension worth $135 million. This deal includes $87 million in guaranteed money, as he is now locked in with the Rams through the 2024 season. The agreement was easy to go with for Donald, who now has the richest defensive contract in NFL history.
The deal was finalized with a meeting on Friday morning, as Donald came out of that meeting saying "I feel good right now." The meeting took place at the team's facility, as the defensive star arrived 35 minutes early to make this happen.
Donald held out through the team's entire training camp and preseason, but will be good to go for the season opener on September 10th against the Oakland Raiders. He will be able to participate in six scheduled practices before the opener and is not expected to miss a game. He did not get activated until Week 2 last season after holding out over another contract dispute.
The newly-paid player was a first-round pick in 2014 and was entering the final year of his rookie contract, where he was set to make $6.9 million this year. He is a three-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, and a former Defensive Rookie of the Year. In four seasons in the NFL, Donald has recorded 39 career sacks and forced nine fumbles.
He now has plenty of support on his defensive team, as the Rams have added the likes of Aqip Talib, Ndamukong Suh, and Marcus Peters in the off-season. And they now have a finally happy defensive end, who has been working on his contract since the 2016 season. He has had a pattern of holding out since the beginning of these discussions, but is now happy that it is all over, saying "it was a stressful time for me."
The deal was finalized with a meeting on Friday morning, as Donald came out of that meeting saying "I feel good right now." The meeting took place at the team's facility, as the defensive star arrived 35 minutes early to make this happen.
Donald held out through the team's entire training camp and preseason, but will be good to go for the season opener on September 10th against the Oakland Raiders. He will be able to participate in six scheduled practices before the opener and is not expected to miss a game. He did not get activated until Week 2 last season after holding out over another contract dispute.
The newly-paid player was a first-round pick in 2014 and was entering the final year of his rookie contract, where he was set to make $6.9 million this year. He is a three-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, and a former Defensive Rookie of the Year. In four seasons in the NFL, Donald has recorded 39 career sacks and forced nine fumbles.
He now has plenty of support on his defensive team, as the Rams have added the likes of Aqip Talib, Ndamukong Suh, and Marcus Peters in the off-season. And they now have a finally happy defensive end, who has been working on his contract since the 2016 season. He has had a pattern of holding out since the beginning of these discussions, but is now happy that it is all over, saying "it was a stressful time for me."
