Los Angeles Rams: Why Aaron Donald might be the most compelling holdout ever

You can make a very good argument that Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald might be the most compelling player to ever hold out, making this story in LA tough for both sides.

Not a day goes by where you can’t find something written or said about the Los Angeles Rams and defensive standout Aaron Donald.

It’s impossible actually.

Yet, even with the Rams kicking off their preseason on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, the top story will be about LA playing an exhibition game without Donald anywhere in sight. Every game played, players can expect a question about AD.

Welcome to the new normal, Los Angeles.

It’s hard to think of a more compelling story in the NFL.

No. 99 brings all the statistics and awards to back up his argument. So much so, that it’s become impossible to find an analyst who understands why the best defensive player in the game waits for a well deserved payday.

Don’t kid yourself, he is long past due.

Donald isn’t selfish, either. The window to earn in the National Football League is small, especially at his position. He doesn’t owe fans or the Rams organization a home team discount either.

To refresh the memory, LA has chosen the say “meh” to the 2014 NFL AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, the 2017 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a guy who made the 2014 NFL All Rookie Team, and was named to the NFL Top 100 from 2015-18 (No. 7 this year).

This guy produced, and he STILL can’t get paid.

Something just isn’t right in Los Angeles when those kind of accolades yields nothing. The Rams have the premier defensive player in the league still waiting with hat in hand while a newbie to LA like Brandin Cooks already went to the bank.

The organization and Donald seem to have a growing distance between them. It also looks like, based on the posturing the last few days, that this stalemate will last a while. While that may be hard to stomach, his team has made it easier for him to stay home, given a lot of the money LA has doled out this summer.

Hey, unless you weren’t witnessing it in real time, it would be hard to believe how far down the list of priorities Donald finds himself.

The Rams have leverage, and they are determined to maximize it with their best player, no questions asked.