Getty The Rams celebrate after delivering the final defensive stop in Super Bowl 56.
Someone is in talks with the Los Angeles Rams to become richer than he’s ever been.
But this is not a prominent free agent name who could sign with the champs — with the latest top name attached to the Rams James Bradberry signing on with the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday morning, May 18. This person of interest is also not one of the draft picks the Super Bowl 56 champs lured in during the last weekend of April.
Who could strike it rich with the Rams per ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler in his Wednesday report? A mainstay on the Rams and a man who has been up for a new contract for quite some time: Aaron Donald.
What the Rams are Working on, Per Fowler
Here’s what Fowler reported in his NFL contract updates feature:
“The Rams are working with Donald’s reps on a new deal that promises to be record-breaking. This is expected to be an extension, repackaging the remaining three years on his deal with a big raise. Top of the market for defensive players is $28 million annually, and Donald will be well above that when this is all said and done. He has been arguably the game’s best player for at least a half-decade.”
There you have it. The trench star with eight Pro Bowl appearances, seven All-Pro nods, three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, 98 career sacks per Pro Football Reference and finally, the winner of his first ever Super Bowl ring could become the richest defensive linemen, let alone the league’s richest defender, in NFL history.
Currently, per the website Over the Cap, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher and the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J Watt is the league’s richest defender at $28,002,750 annually. Donald is the wealthiest among interior defenders with $22.5 million a year. Leonard Williams of the New York Giants and DeForest Buckner of the Indianapolis Colts come in second at $21 million per season.
Fowler Reveals ‘Understanding’ Involving ‘A.D’
The veteran NFL insider Fowler dove into more nuggets that involve Donald.
Among them, the retirement talk and Fowler’s “understanding” of what Donald is aiming.
“Keep in mind that the retirement buzz around Donald — first delivered by NBC’s Rodney Harrison on the Super Bowl pregame broadcast — was always real. And it’s my understanding that Donald has a number he will play for,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler adds this telling detail if there’s no deal made.
“If it’s not met, retirement can still go down,” Fowler said. “Adding years to an already existing three-year pact takes Donald well into his mid-30s, and who knows whether he wants to play that long? But that’s the best way for Los Angeles to stretch out the money for cap purposes.”
The team’s most significant losses were Robert Woods, who once made $65 million before being traded to the Tennessee Titans following the Allen Robinson deal, and Von Miller who signed for six years for $120 million. The Rams, though, opened their wallet and made blockbuster deals this offseason. The wide receiver Robinson (three years for $46.5 million) and linebacker Bobby Wagner (five-year for $50 million) became rich Rams during the March free agency period that saw record deals get shattered.
Now, Donald could have something with “record-breaking” potential.