Rams HC Sean McVay said there is “constant communication” between DT Aaron Donald and the team regarding a new contract.
“There is constant communication,” said McVay, via SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Aaron is very important to what we want to do moving forward.”
The Rams placed Donald on their active/did not report list on Saturday.
Last week, Ian Rapoport reported that Donald did not report to the team for the start of training camp and is officially a holdout. Rapoport added that the two parties have made “little progress” up to this point, so it appears momentum may be gaining towards a deal.
Rams GM Les Snead recently referred to a contract extension for Donald as a “priority” but admitted that it’s a “complicated” situation overall.
“We’re working to find a resolution. I don’t want to get into optimistic or pessimistic, because it’s a complicated situation. We respect Aaron and his group, and we’re working to find a win-win,” said Snead, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
Snead added that he would “love” for Donald to re-sign, but he would respect his decision to play elsewhere.
“These are delicate situations,” Snead said. “I think you have to respect Aaron and his side, and that business move. It’s really at that point all about respect. Yes, we’d love for him to be here, hope he’s here, would help if he’s here. But if he decides not to, then it’s a thing you have to respect.”
The Rams have made it clear that signing Donald to a massive contract is a priority for them.
Donald, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Rams back in 2014. He was in the final year of his four-year, $10.136 million and set to make a base salary of $1,802,250 for the 2017 season when the Rams picked up his fifth-year team option for the 2018 season.
This will run them around $6.892 million for the 2018 season, but is guaranteed only for injury and won’t prevent them from working on a long-term extension over the next year.
In 2016, Donald appeared in all 16 games for the Rams and recorded 47 tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and five pass defenses.
We’ll have more regarding a new deal for Donald as the news is available.
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