Having won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, we haven’t seen a better NFL defender than Aaron Donald in the past decade. Heck, it’s not a stretch to say Donald is the best defensive tackle in NFL history.
But the Los Angeles Rams are not the Super Bowl favorite they used to be, sliding down the power rankings, landing outside of the playoff picture. Where does that leave the 32-year-old 7x All-Pro?
Like many veterans who don’t know how many years of their prime they have left, Donald likely wants to win. The nine-year pro doesn’t have another season to waste if the rest of the Rams’ roster isn’t up to the task for competing for another Lombardi Trophy.
This has led to some speculation from NFL insider Michael Lombardi about whether the former Defensive Rookie of the Year gets dealt if the Rams get off to a rough start this season. Here’s what he had to say during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Say the Rams start off slow and they’re headed toward Caleb Williams in the draft. Do they trade Aaron Donald to a team at the trade deadline? Because he’s truly their only asset.”
Michael Lombardi on potential Aaron Donald trade
Lombardi also noted that the Rams front office tried to trade Matthew Stafford this offseason, trying to get out from his four-year, $160 million contract signed just last year.
Either move would come as a big shock for a Rams squad that was hoisting the Super Bowl LVI trophy in February of 2022. Yet this is clearly a team headed on a much different direction now that it’s time to pay the bills after so many pricy acquisitions. Still, no one can ever take that championship hardware away from the L.A. Rams.
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