I think a big issue impacting the Donald holdout is that there was an over inflation on paying top DT. Suh, Short and Fletcher all got wacko contracts and Donald is better than any of them. It makes sense that Donald would expect to paid more than any of those guys. Well Suh got cut and his market was set at 14M. I don't think if Short or Fletcher were free now that they would get the same contracts.
So it is hard to tell what the market is right now but it is probably around 15-17m. I think the Rams would do that number right now. I think Donald wants to be paid like a QB. I think that is what where the gap is and I don't know how you solve that issue. We can alway let him play on this contract for 1 more year and then franchise him for 2 more year. We will have gotten him for the best years of his career and when he goes to sign after that he won't get a QB level contract.
I think that the only way the Donald will maximize his career earnings is to sign a big extension for around 17mil per year with a high level guaranteed. Maybe even a 6 year contract. He could get 60 million guaranteed. I don't think he can make more money than that contract with the leverage the Rams have. I think his side is waiting for the Rams to blink and see if they will bow to pressure and do something stupid like what happened in Detroit with Suh.
To do a deal it must be good for both sides and right now I don't think the two sides can find that place where they think deal works for each of them. Risking 90 to 100mil to play of 6.9 mil when the upside may only be 10 mil of so just doesn't make sense so I think a deal will eventually get done.
