Los Angeles Rams gave their defensive tackle Aaron Donald an excellent reason to end his holdout. Rams announced on Friday that Donald agreed to a six-year extension which will keep him in LA through the 2024 season. After getting the deal done, the 27-year-old All-Pro re-joined the team and is expected to play in season opener against the Oakland Raiders.
#LARams + @aarondonald97 agree to terms on a six-year extension.
Read 📰 » https://t.co/I0gsAUnZHt pic.twitter.com/8QAAji2h0j
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 31, 2018
While the Rams failed to disclose the details about the contract, according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, Aaron Donald received the largest deal in NFL history for a defensive player. The extension is reportedly worth $135 million with $87 million guaranteed. Donald was scheduled to earn $6.9 million in 2018 and was entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Los Angeles Rams were working on an extension with Aaron Donald since the end of 2016 season, but couldn’t make significant progress until now. One of the reasons for that was Donald’s wish to get a record-breaking deal, something the Rams weren’t willing to give him until now.
In order to force the organization to give him a new deal, Donald missed OTAs, minicamps and training camp in both 2017 and 2018 preseason. The holdout didn’t affect his play in 2017 since he was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, so we can expect him to have another impressive season this time around as well.
Aaron Donald was the Rams’ 13th overall pick in 2014. Donald immediately made an impact in his rookie season, being selected to Pro Bowl and receiving NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He backed that up with three more consecutive Pro Bowl selections and three straight First-team All-Pro honors. His career stats include 205 total tackles, 39.0 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 62 NFL career games.
