Much was made about Aaron Donald potentially retiring after the Los Angeles Rams squared off with the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. While it’s apparent that Donald will return next season, Sean McVay iterated at his annual league meeting media session that he’s relieved to know Donald will be with the Rams in 2022.
McVay also joked that he may have considered accepting a job on television had Donald elected to retire. For those that don’t know, there was speculation that McVay could leave the coaching ranks in favor of a television job on one of the notable networks before he confirmed he’ll continue coaching the Rams.
Rams coach Sean McVay said that decision of Aaron Donald to not retire is such a 'major relief' added that team now has to figure out his contract. Joked that if Donald hadn't come back maybe he goes the television route #Rams @PFN365 pic.twitter.com/3jjk5xVH0B
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 29, 2022
After getting confirmation that Donald has the desire to play next season, McVay made it clear that the next step is getting him a new contract. Many thought the rumors about Donald’s potential retirement was just a ploy from his camp to garner a new deal with the Rams.
The All-Pro interior defender has been the best defensive player — arguably the best player — in the NFL for around five years now. Even with Donald turning 31 years old in May, he realizes that he deserves to be the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
Donald is currently the sixth highest-paid defensive player in the NFL in average annual salary. The five guys ahead of him are T.J. Watt, Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Khalil Mack.
Following a Super Bowl victory, the Rams are doing everything in their power to retain the majority of their roster. Amid all of the other moves the team is considering, Los Angeles knows that it needs to prioritize reworking Donald’s current contract ahead of the 2022 campaign.
