If Sean McVay leaves, should Rams worry about Aaron Donald doing the same?
The Los Angeles Rams gave Sean McVay a contract extension after winning Super Bowl LVI, keeping him with the organization through the 2026 season. However, just one year into the deal, McVay’s future in Los Angeles is already uncertain.
Adam Schefter reported on Saturday night that he’s not sure if he’ll return as the head coach in 2023, needing some time after the season ends to decompress and think about what’s next. That’s troublesome news for the Rams, who had nothing but success under McVay until this season. It’s even more concerning when you consider what Aaron Donald said during training camp in July.
“Not at all. Not at all,” Donald said when asked if he’d be at training camp if McVay retired. “I told Sean when he first got here and we accomplished some things early when he first got here, and I told him, as long as he’s the head coach here, I want to continue to build my legacy with him. As long as he’s here and I got the ability to still play at a high level, I’m gonna be here. When he’s gone and it’s all said and done, that’s probably when I’ll be hanging it up, too.”
Donald has spoken several times about how much he loves playing for McVay and the impact he’s had on him, hoping to finish his career with McVay as his head coach. That quote from last year is as clear an example as any.
Like McVay, Donald endured a tough 2022 season. He missed six games with an ankle injury, the first time in his career he’s ever missed a single game due to injury. Donald was productive when he was on the field, recording five sacks and 49 tackles, but it wasn’t the award-winning season we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him.
Donald considered retiring after the Rams won the Super Bowl last year and had even submitted a retirement letter to the team, which was never filed with the NFL. He signed a three-year, $95 million deal with the Rams in the offseason, which is what ultimately got him to return for another season.
Of the $95 million Donald got, $65 million were fully guaranteed in the first two years, leaving him with an option to potentially return for the 2024 season and earning another $30 million. Donald said in August that he’s “got a two-year commitment right now,” knowing the way his contract is structured. But that won’t stop him from retiring after this season and walking away from an additional $18.5 million.
He got $46.5 million guaranteed at signing, and of that, $15 million will be paid on the second day of the 2023 league year in March. That leaves another $18.5 million of the $65 million guaranteed still to be paid.
His $13.5 million salary and $5 million 2024 roster bonus both become guaranteed on the third day of 2023 league year. So if McVay walks away and Donald retires before then, he’ll lose out on $18.5 million. That’s a lot of money, but if Donald sees a rebuild coming without McVay at the helm, he might feel OK about walking away.
Ideally, McVay will return and he and Donald – along with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp – will go on one last run in 2023 before the band potentially breaks up. However, McVay is the key to it all, and his uncertain future is the first domino that needs to fall.
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