Rams General Manager Les Snead said Tuesday he did not know whether Aaron Donald would show up for the start of training camp. He knows now.
For the second consecutive year, the star defensive tackle is a holdout, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
It is no surprise Donald isn’t with his teammates given he wants a new contract.
The sides are said to have made progress in extension talks, but a deal does not appear imminent. The Rams recently signed Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks to long-term deals.
“We’re simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram a long time,” Snead said Tuesday during the press conference to announce Gurley’s new deal, via quotes distributed by the team. “That’s the goal. I know we’ll get questions about him, but Aaron’s a big part of who we are, where we want to go. But I think the details and all of that, I think we’re going to continue the course of keeping them in-house. We’re going to continue working to get something done with Aaron.”
Donald, 27, is due to make $6.89 million in the final year of his rookie contract. He missed all of training camp last season and the first game but still earned the league’s defensive player of the year award.