The Los Angeles Rams purged their roster of high-priced veterans last offseason but the script is going to flip this year. With plenty of cap space and a very manageable cap situation, the Rams should be much more aggressive in their pursuit of another ring.
They’ll do so with Aaron Donald on the team, hoping to push for one more championship before his contract expires after the 2024 season. The Rams have no plans to part ways with Donald the way they did with Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd last year, but that isn’t stopping people from pitching hypothetical trade offers for the future Hall of Famer.
Bleacher Report came up with five trades that would help prevent a Chiefs threepeat and one of them was the Bengals acquiring Donald from the Rams. The offer?
Rams get: 2024 first-round pick (No. 18 overall) and 2024 third-round pick (No. 80 overall)
Bengals get: Aaron Donald
Although Cincinnati had its championship dreams dashed by an unforgettable Donald sack two years ago, the city would likely forgive him if he’s traded to the Bengals. He’s one of the few players capable of collapsing the pocket seemingly at will, and he would help Cincinnati execute the same type of plan for stopping Patrick Mahomes that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers provided the league when they handed him his lone Super Bowl loss three years ago.
That’s honestly not a terrible offer for Donald, who again, only has one year left on his contract. If he was under contract for another three, four years, there’s no question the offer would have to be higher. We also have to take into account the fact that Donald is nearing the end of his career after considering retirement two years ago.
That being said, the Rams would not take this deal. Not only do they want Donald to finish his career in Los Angeles, but they’re shooting for a Super Bowl next season after going 10-7 and setting the foundation for a championship push next season. As enticing as it would be to turn Donald into two top-100 picks, including a first-rounder, trading him would immediately make the Rams worse.
And for a defense that’s already lacking playmakers, giving up Donald would set Los Angeles back considerably. Keeping Donald and Kobie Turner together for at least one more season is critical as the Rams try to chase another ring.
There are no indications that the Rams plan to trade Donald so no one should take this as a sign that they’re going to move him, but it’s at least interesting to think about what Los Angeles could get in return.
