Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury shared that he talked to some of the biggest Rams stars at Sean McVay’s wedding last weekend and tried to get them to leave the team, in a joking way.
His first attempt was to get eight-time Pro Bowler Aaron Donald to retire from the league. It was rumored that the 31-year-old was contemplating hanging up his cleats after the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win in February.
However, Donald signed back with the Rams this week, and now he will become the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history as he will earn around $31.6 million per year on average.
“I did my best to try and convince Aaron Donald to retire,” Kingsbury said. “Obviously, that didn’t work. I told him he’s accomplished all he can accomplish, and it’s a great idea to go out on your own terms and all that.”
Two days later, wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed a three-year extension worth $110 million over the next five years. Kingsbury apparently advised the Super Bowl MVP to consider holding out for a bigger deal, but once again, that didn’t happen.
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“Then I told Kupp, I was basically like ‘I know you and Sean are friends, but stop taking that McVay discount. Hold out for the first three weeks and get something sorted out,’” Kingsbury said. “You can tell that did not work out either.”
The Rams and Cardinals played each other twice last season, splitting the series. The NFC West rivals remain tough competitors for next season with the promise of Donald and Kupp returning.
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