The Seattle Seahawks broke the Los Angeles Rams. That defeat in the NFC Championship Game triggered a major ripple effect, leading Sean McVay's team to assemble an Avengers-like roster just to get back on top.
As the defending Super Bowl champions and bearers of bragging rights, the Seahawks shouldn't be that worried about what their rivals may or may not do. This time, however, the Rams might take things up a couple of notches.
Aaron Donald is seriously contemplating a comeback, and with Myles Garrett already there, this could be a huge problem for the Seahawks. Fortunately for them, the Rams are facing a roadblock of their own with Donald's potential return: his salary.
The Seattle Seahawks don't want to see Aaron Donald twice a year
As ESPN insider Adam Schefter explained, Donald is still under contract with the Rams. He may have retired, but he still had one year and more than $30 million on the table when he decided to ride into the sunset. Now, they have to find some common ground:
“People forget, Aaron Donald still is under contract to the Los Angeles Rams,” Schefter said on his podcast. “He is under contract to the Rams for $30 million for this season... It’s not just gonna be that he walks out onto the field and makes $30 million. There’s gonna be some discussions here about what he wants, what he’s willing to play for, what the Rams are willing to pay him.”
As great a player as Aaron Donald is, and as much as he might still be in great shape, he hasn't played in over two years. As such, it would be almost impossible to justify paying him $31.1 million per season, especially with guys like Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young also waiting for a payday of their own.
The Rams have just over $15.2 million in available cap space, per Over The Cap. They need every penny and all the financial wiggle room they can get to keep their young guns in town for the long run, so adding void years is pretty much off the table.
But since Donald's contract didn't simply disappear and they still hold his rights, they have to get to the table and negotiate. Donald just watched Jalen Carter get $38 million a year on his new deal, so will he be willing to play for less than the money he's owed, even knowing what he'll have to put his body through?
The Seahawks have a stout offensive line, and they got the best out of the Rams twice in three meetings last season. That said, a defensive front with Garrett and Donald, plus Trent McDuffie in the secondary, is definitely a major threat to anybody, much more so a fellow divisional rival with Super Bowl aspirations.
Donald left the game with a 14-5 career record versus the Seahawks, including 1-0 in the playoffs. He was a true menace, logging 73 total tackles, 17.5 sacks, and 48 quarterback hits. Of course, he may not be that impactful after such a long layoff, but he's still the last guy you want to see on the other side of the field.
At the end of the day, Donald and the Rams will most likely work something out if he does come back. He might get some roster bonuses and incentives to recover some of the money he left on the table. That said, the Seahawks can only hope his ego is bigger than his desire to keep adding to his Hall of Fame legacy by taking a huge pay cut to win another ring.
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