Donald ends holdout by signing record deal with Rams
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald’s two-year quest to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player finally ended in success Friday morning.
And just a few minutes after signing his deal, Donald was at work on the Los Angeles Rams’ practice fields for the first time in months, determined to keep doing the same things that made him so very wealthy.
The All-Pro defensive tackle agreed to a six-year, $135 million deal, ending his second consecutive preseason holdout with a landmark commitment from the Rams.
“I feel good right now,” Donald said. “To be back out here playing football again, that’s what it is all about. Long process and a long wait. Definitely it was tough for me, having a love for the game, having to push that to the side and handle the business side.”
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is signed through 2024, and the Rams’ defense can rest solidly on its cornerstone as Los Angeles attempts to capitalize on last season’s success with a Super Bowl run.
ESPN and the NFL Network reported the new deal includes a $40 million signing bonus and $87 million guaranteed. Donald is already under contract this season for $6.89 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
Earlier this week, Rams coach Sean McVay said Donald should be able to play in the team’s Monday night regular-season opener at Oakland on Sept. 10 if he signed within the next few days.
Chiefs, Cowboys make a deal
The Kansas City Chiefs had been searching for help at cornerback and had a surplus of talented offensive lineman, while the Dallas Cowboys were in precisely the opposite situation.
So they decided to make a deal.
Kansas City sent backup offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, who had lost his starting job in training camp, to Dallas for undrafted but promising cornerback Charvarius Ward.
The Chiefs have been chasing help at cornerback ever since trading Marcus Peters, a standout but malcontent, to the Rams earlier this season.
The Cowboys were searching for interior depth after losing backup Marcus Martin to a torn ligament in his toe this preseason.
Odds and ends
Atlanta traded a conditional 2020 draft pick to New England for safety Jordan Richards, a second-round pick in 2017 who started five of 16 games in 2017. … The New York cut 18 players, including veteran linebackers David Bass and Kevin Minter, to pare their roster to 71. … Baltimore placed cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste and offensive tackle Greg Senat on injured reserve, ending their 2018 seasons. The Ravens also put safety DeShon Elliott and defensive back Bennett Jackson on IR as part of a series of moves that trimmed 17 players from the roster. Jean Baptiste broke his arm in Thursday night’s 30-20 preseason victory over Washington; Senat has a foot injury. … Reserve defensive back Jordan Lucas was by Miami to Kansas City for an undisclosed draft pick. Lucas, a sixth-round draft pick in 2016, played mostly on special teams for the Dolphins. … San Francisco acquired offensive lineman Shon Coleman from Cleveland for a 2019 seventh-round draft pick. Coleman, who still must pass a physical for the deal to become official, was a thirdround pick of the Browns in 2016. He started 16 games at right tackle last season.