Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald has been away from Los Angeles Rams training camp. For the second consecutive year, the former first-round pick and NFL’s best defensive player has decided to hold out from the summer session.
For a Rams team with Super Bowl aspirations, this is a less-than-ideal scenario. Not only is Donald their best defensive player, he’s what makes things tick on that side of the ball. The idea of teaming him up with fellow All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has to be giving opposing NFC West teams nightmares.
Unfortunately for the Rams, head coach Sean McVay is now losing sleep over Donald’s holdout. Not only that, he’s having legit nightmares.
Sean McVay sleeps a whopping 4-6 hours every night during training camp. When asked if the Aaron Donald situation keeps him up, his response, chuckling: Every night… I wake up with nightmares about it.
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) August 2, 2018
Okay, that might have been a little tongue-in-cheek. Even then, Donald’s holdout certainly isn’t good news for the Rams. Here’s a team that’s signed both Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley to lucrative long-term extensions over the past month.
All the while, Donald remains away from camp looking for a payday he’s more than earned.