To the Los Angeles Rams, Aaron Donald is worth $6.892 million. And then some.
The Rams on Wednesday picked up the fifth-year option on the defensive tackle’s contract, ESPN.com reports. It will be fully guaranteed on the first day of the 2018 league year.
Los Angeles is the first franchise to use the option this year, ESPN adds, and is in the process of extending a long-term offer to the fourth-year player out of Pittsburgh.
Pro Football Focus has graded Donald as the No. 3 player in the NFL, regardless of position, behind New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.
Donald has averaged 54.3 tackles and 9.3 sacks per season for his first three years and earned All-Pro honors the past two seasons. ESPN adds that he led the league in quarterback hits last season with 31 and tied for the league lead with 17 tackles for loss.
ESPN.com outlined what Donald’s salary structure will look like:
“Donald is set to make a base salary of $1,802,250 in 2017, ESPN.com reported. “His fifth-year option for 2018 is the average of the third- to 25th-highest-paid players at his position, since Donald was a first-round pick who wasn’t taken within the top 10.”
The Rams also understand that to keep Donald beyond 2018, they are going to have to make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. Denver Broncos defensive lineman Von Miller currently is the highest-paid defensive player with a six-year, $114.5 million contract signed last summer. Of that money, $70 million is guaranteed.
That makes it more likely that the club will not exercise the fifth-year option on offensive tackle Greg Robinson, whom they took with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Robinson, who leads the league in penalties over the last two years with 31, is moving to right tackle this year to make room for free-agent acquisition left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
The Rams selected Aaron with the No. 13 pick overall in 2014.
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