LA Rams investment in Aaron Donald was the right move

How do they like AD now?

It’s pretty clear that Aaron Donald was the true diamond of the 2014 NFL Draft class, and there are quite a few notable players who belong to that class. But Aaron Donald has only gotten better, stronger, and far more clever seemingly each year of his NFL career. When the Rams moved to Los Angeles and hired Sean McVay as the head coach, the meaning of each NFL game was simply not to go out and play hard.

The Rams have played in the post season in four of the past fives seasons. The Rams have competed in the Super Bowl in two of the past five seasons. That’s an incredible track record, as some teams have yet to compete for an NFL Championship in the Super Bowl era.

Nobody does it better

In eight NFL seasons, Aaron Donald is already among the most proficient NFL sackers in the history of the game, and he plays in the interior of the defensive line. That means that he routinely faces two or more blockers on every play. So what does that translate into on the playing field?

He is among the elite of the NFL. And he has, theoretically, many more years of terrorizing NFL quarterbacks to come. It only makes sense for the LA Rams to revisit his contract. Why? Well, he has consistently outperformed his NFL compensation. And almost everyone recognizes the ‘Aaron Donald effect,’ which is the impact of AD on the production of his teammates.

In essence, the LA Rams get a bonus from Aaron Donald because they sign on other players, who outperform their contracts because they line up next to Donald. The LA Rams, with this latest contract, appears to have done a remarkable job of crafting a semi-team-friendly agreement, while lining Aaron Donald’s pockets with a lot of cash. So what does that all break out to?