Los Angeles Rams: Three crucial preseason story lines

When will Aaron Donald’s hold out end?

One of the biggest stories out of LA has been the Aaron Donald hold out which, according to Adam Schefter, threatens to carry on into the regular season.

In a system that makes it very difficult for rookies to get the contracts they deserve, Donald is currently being grossly underpaid. In a league where the top three defensive tackles are being paid over $17 million, Aaron Donald is set to make about $3 million in 2017. Despite being an All-Pro level talent, Donald will be making about $16 million less than Ndamukong Suh, who he arguably played as well as last season.

One more season of being underpaid may seem like something that could be ignored by a player. That is until you realize that the Rams also chose to exercise his fifth-year option, paying him about $6 million in 2018 and still not truly paying him what he has been worth to that defense.

To put it lightly, this hold out is a big deal for not only Donald and the Los Angeles Rams, but for the players of the NFL who are stuck on team friendly contracts that they signed as rookies despite their play level.

Whereas players in the NBA get to choose if they exercise the options on their contracts, rookies are at the mercy of their teams and are, more often than not, confined to team friendly deals that cause them to be underpaid.

In an off-season where Le’Veon Bell is holding out because of the restricting franchise tag, it seems like the only way a player can have a say in how much they get paid is by making a causing drama and/or holding out. We have seen other players do this too: Kam Chancellor, Eric Berry, Kirk Cousins, and the list goes on. Hopefully, the Donald hold out catches fire and forces the NFL to restructure the way that it pays its players.

In the time being, however, not having Donald on the field by now could be catastrophic to the Rams.

If Donald remains off the team by the start of the season, it could spell trouble for the Rams, who need to be at full strength to have any chance of snagging a wild card spot. Even if they sign Donald today, however, it may still prove difficult for him to learn the new defensive scheme instituted by Wade Philips before the beginning of the season. As it stands right now, Donald will have to learn on the fly when he comes back which may affect his performance.

The Los Angeles Rams undoubtedly need to work hard to get their best player signed and back on the field as soon as possible or else their playoff hopes could be dashed. Hopefully, a deal can be struck soon and Donald can return to action.