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GM: Rams, holdout Aaron Donald in 'same ZIP code' with talks[
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Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead on Wednesday gave an update on contract talks with holdout Aaron Donald and said the team and its star defensive tackle are in the same "ZIP code" in negotiations.
"We're in the same ZIP code, area code, ballpark," he told a group of reporters at the team's hotel in Baltimore, where the Rams will play the Ravens on Thursday in a preseason game.
Asked for clarification on the meaning of "ZIP code" in the Donald talks, Snead said, "I think we all know what that means. ZIP code usually means you're close, but you still haven't agreed."
Donald did not report to the team by Tuesday's deadline to receive credit for an accrued season, meaning he will not be an unrestricted free agent if he plays out this season without a new deal. Instead, he would be a restricted free agent, allowing the Rams to match any deal he agreed to with another team.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Donald is not expected to report to the team anytime soon, and coach Sean McVay echoed a similar sentiment when he said, "I don't think anything is going to change with that in the near future."
Snead told reporters that the Rams wouldn't "put a false timeline" on getting a deal done with Donald, according to The Los Angeles Times.
"Whatever the date is to prepare for the regular season," he said, according to the newspaper, "but again, there's no hard date there."
Donald also held out from training camp last year and didn't report until the day before their season opener. The holdouts the last two seasons mean he will have only three accrued seasons toward free agency after this season. Four are needed to become an unrestricted free agent. He sat out Week 1 but finished with 11 sacks and five forced fumbles, and went on to win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.
"Nothing has changed since we started this process," Snead said Wednesday, according to the Orange County Register. "The goal is still to come up with a win-win situation for the reigning defensive MVP and the Los Angeles Rams, and that's a long-term contract for Aaron Donald."
Donald is scheduled to earn $6.9 million in the final season of his rookie contract but is thought to be seeking a deal that would pay him in excess of $20 million per season, which would make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history and would rank his salary among quarterbacks.
