During the Scouting Combine, Rams General Manager Les Snead said that a contract extension for defensive tackle Aaron Donald is “definitely coming” but nothing’s been agreed to at this point.
Given their desire to get a long-term deal done, there’s no reason for the Rams to run even the slightest risk of losing Donald to another team after the 2017 season. That makes it little surprise to see multiple reports that the team has exercised their 2018 option on Donald’s rookie deal.
Donald would stand to make around $6.9 million next season if he plays out the year under the terms of the option. Exercising it buys the Rams plenty of time to work out a longer and much more lucrative extension of Donald’s time with the team that drafted him with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 draft.
The big question for the two sides to figure out will be just how lucrative that deal will wind up being while others around the league will be watching to see if Donald supplants Von Miller as the league’s best-paid defensive player.