The Rams need to keep a professional, non-passionate face for the public when it comes to Donald.....just as they are wisely doing.
But behind the scenes they need to play hardball. My bet is that they are, and that is why AD is not here.
So far Donald's team has not gone public, and that is good. It would be a mistake for the Rams to do anything publicly that might force AD's agents to say something publicly in response to defend they and their client's position. Right now there is nothing to respond to. There is NO characterization of any element of the negotiation other than showing respect for Donald and his agents and a priority to make this happen. I get this feeling that Demoff is going to slow-roll this thing well into next year. He should, imo.
I doubt McVay has much input in this. He's not about to say "give him whatever he wants" or " we can do without him". It's not his job or position. Especially as a brand new, first time HC.
I'm going to stop predicting about this because I never thought Donald would hold out with 2 years left on his rookie deal, in the first place. He's in the wrong ethically and strategically. And the Rams have his football rights in their hands if he ever wants to play NFL football again. And yes, what goes on with Donald does have an effect on what the Rams do with future player contracts. So they can't just cave and give Donald whatever he wants to despite his status as one of the best 2 or 3 defensive players in the league.
Honestly since he has to report by Aug 8 or lose an entire year towards his FA eligibility, the Rams know he's going to show up before the first preseason game. That gives them 4 weeks to get him up to speed and ready to play the first game that counts. For AD that is no problem. He can play in the final pre-season game as a tune-up after practicing for 3 weeks. All they have to do is line him up and point him towards the backfield and turn him loose and watch the fun.
