After the Rams announced the five-year contract extension for Brandin Cooks on Tuesday, the obvious question became: What about Aaron Donald?
The Rams are running out of time with training camp slated to start July 26, but the defensive tackle reportedly feels good about where the sides stand in talks. Jason La Canfora of CBS reports that Donald has “told some close to him that he anticipates a new deal being done before camp opens.”
Donald skipped organized team activities and the mandatory minicamp as he seeks a deal that is expected to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. He likely continues his holdout until he sees a raise over the $6.89 million he is scheduled to make this season.
In 2017, Donald held out of the offseason program, training camp and the preseason before reporting to the team a day before the Rams’ season opener. He still won defensive player of the year honors.
Rams COO and VP Kevin Demoff said last month he hoped the sides agreed to a deal “sooner than training camp.” Demoff added, “But if it goes to training camp, our goal is to make sure it’s done and that he feels rewarded and that it’s a win-win deal for both sides.”