Aaron Donald seems set for a return to the Rams, but his contract could create some difficulty in the negotiation process.
There is no question that one of the biggest stories of the summer is the fact that the Los Angeles Rams have an opportunity to get Aaron Donald out of retirement and add him to what is already a stacked defensive line.
At the beginning of this offseason, this seemed like more of a long shot, but with the acquisition of Myles Garrett, it appears that Donald is now considering a return to play. The issue could lie in his contract and what he will be owed if he does come back.
It is important to note that there is no guarantee that Donald will come back for the 2026 season, in addition to the fact that he also must negotiate his contract before his return can become official.
As a result of Aaron Donald retiring after the conclusion of the 2023-2024 season, he left $30 million on the table, which could be what he expects the Rams to pay him should he decide to unretire. The only problem with Donald expecting that $30 million is the fact that the Rams do not currently have that much cap space and would need to make a few roster moves to make that happen.
For a player like Donald, the Rams would definitely consider doing that, but it is worth wondering how much they would try to sign him for initially.
According to Spotrac, Los Angeles has $20.9 million in available cap space, which is solid, but ideally, they do not spend it all on Donald in case they need to make another roster move. If and when the two sides do begin negotiating, the Rams may try to meet more in the middle, but the x-factor in this situation is how much money Donald truly wants if he is to unretire.
Over the past few weeks, Donald has been under heavy attention from the media because of the possibility that he may unretire, which found him at the Rams' practice facility getting some work in. The video that surfaced may have caused fans and others around the NFL to believe that Donald truly is coming back, but he still has not made a final decision.
All that to say, Donald is in great shape, but before making a decision like this, it appears that he is testing his body to determine if a return is possible With the Rams' roster in a great position to compete, the defensive end could make the roster even stronger, but the business aspect is something that has to be sorted out before anything on the field can become official.
As he tries to get the football part squared away, he must figure out how much the Rams must invest in him financially so they can be prepared to make the moves necessary. It is possible that Donald will ask for the full $30 million, but also that he could ask for less because his main objective is to get back to playing football and potentially win another Super Bowl.
In all likelihood, because of what it takes to play a full season in the NFL and the potential for injury, it does seem more likely than not that Donald will want to get as close to $30 million as possible, and if the Rams are unwilling to meet that number, these negotiations could take quite a while.
