When players hire very difficult and demanding agents that want contracts that are out of the box; when players are ready to go to the extreme that AD is to get what he wants or he won't show up, the odds of him ever being with one team for life are pretty small.
For this player the thing that matters the most.....by far....is the money. BTW I'm not judging AD on that; most of us would change jobs/companies to gain a significantly higher paycheck even if we like what we do.
But any idea that AD has some romantic or altruistic notion or dream of being a Ram for life is just nonsense. He doesn't and he won't be a Ram for life. He will go to the highest bidder.....always. That's what these guys do who want to maximize their football income. Again, not that there's anything wrong with that.
I'm sure the brain trust has figured that out.
So the issue is just how much of Donald's prime playing career are the Rams willing to pay for.
If I'm the Rams I look at how things are and don't budge. They have him, theoretically, for 4 more years (2 contract, 2 Franchise tag years). Never are they on the hook for more than the current year pay. That also means that they already have him until just before his 30th birthday without giving away the farm.
Don't ever worry: a player like this will never sit out a season because he would lose way too much money. And since money is important to him (as it is to all players) he's not about to make zero for 2017 when he's under contract for just under $2 mil. Just as important the Rams need to make it clear that they WILL deduct every dime that the CBA and contract allow them to for his non-participation. And right now, what Donald owes is bigger than what he is due (for the time period).
If I'm the Rams, considering how late we are in the game, here's the deal I offer: 1) Any contract offers are now off the table. 2) Show up for regular season game 1 and we'll forgive the fines. Don't and we'll enforce them. 3) But no contract changes and no more discussions until you show up and play. After all, why would I believe you'd honor your next contract when you won't honor your current contract?
I suspect that how happy or unhappy Donald is, is not as big a concern as it was a few weeks ago for Snead and Demoff.
I know it sure isn't for me. As a fan, as far as I'm concerned Donald has decided not to be on the team, so I'll pull for the team we have.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2017 03:18AM by RockRam.