"This was contract posturing essentially" - NFL analyst believes Aaron Donald's retirement talk was a smokescreen for contract negotiations
Superstar Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams continues to win in 2022.
First, he successfully closed out Super Bowl LVI by rushing Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to help his side win the game 23-20. Now, he has agreed to a historic contract which makes him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history with a hefty $40 million raise and a three-year contract.
The second update comes after news broke earlier that Donald was weighing up retirement ahead of the 2022 season.
While Aaron Donald did strongly consider retirement, he ends up returning to the champs — with a fat new raise. twitter.com/rapsheet/statu…
NFL analyst Dianna Russini was a guest on ESPN's "Get Up" and she believes Donald's suggestions of possibly retiring were a ruse to get a new contract. Here's what she had to say:
"There was never any question that Aaron Donald was returning to the Super Bowl championship roster. This was contract posturing, essentially this him trying to build leverage."
Russini added:
"He got on many different podcasts talking about his health, how good he felt, how he feels younger than he's ever felt at just 31 years old, and we know how crucial he is to this Rams team. McVay even revealed in an interview on SiriusXL radio saying, 'I knew we were going to get this deal done.'"
Aaron Donald will now go into the 2022 NFL season with a brand new contract and a clear mindset, which simply can't be good for opposing defenses.
Will Aaron Donald win a 4th NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2022?
The Los Angeles Rams will enter next season with a major target in their sights. They will attempt to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl Champions since the New England Patriots back in 2003-2004.
The team will once again be led by Aaron Donald, who has added a Super Bowl ring to his already impressive Hall of Fame resume. He also has three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards already on his mantle and will be looking to add a fourth next season.
Aaron Donald since getting drafted in 2014:
—8x Pro Bowler
—7x All-Pro
—3x DPOY
—2014 DROY
—Super Bowl Champion
—Only 2 missed games in his career
—98 career sacks
Now, he's the highest-paid defensive player ever. https://t.co/unUXi3Gfd0
It would not come as a shock if Aaron Donald did win the DPOY award in his ninth NFL season. However, his sack numbers, although great for a defensive tackle, have not exceeded 13.5 since 2018, when he recorded 20.5.
He is also 31 years old, so it's easy to understand why some will look to discredit him as being a viable candidate to win another DPOY award.
But the former Pittsburgh Panthers standout is unique because of his ability to rush passers from the defensive tackle position. Donald doesn't have the luxury of beating a single offensive tackle on the way to the quarterback.
His ability to push the pocket from the interior is a feature of his game that only few have been able to replicate. But there is now an argument that Donald is perhaps the best to ever do it in NFL history.
The future Hall of Famer will look to terrorize opposing offenses and be on his was to a fourth DPOY award to further cement his legacy.