Instant Alert: The NFL's biggest holdout just ended and it resulted in another groundbreaking contract for one of the best players in the league

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The NFL's biggest holdout just ended and it resulted in another groundbreaking contract for one of the best players in the league

by Tyler Lauletta on Aug 31, 2018, 1:13 PM

Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
The six-year extension is reportedly worth $135 million and comes with $87 million guaranteed, making Donald the first non-quarterback to average more than $20 million annually.
The deal ends Donald's quest for a new contract after holding out of camp for two consecutive years and should keep him in Los Angeles for years to come.

After a holdout for a new contract kept him out of the training camp for the second consecutive year, Aaron Donald has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Los Angeles Rams that will make the reigning Defensive Player of the Year the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

The six-year extension is reportedly worth $135 million and comes with $87 million guaranteed and a $40 million signing bonus. The contract will make Donald the only non-quarterback in the league to average more than $20 million annually.

Los Angeles had already given out multiple huge contracts through the offseason, extending wide receiver Brandin Cooks with a huge contract that should keep him in Los Angeles as the team's No. 1 target through 2021, and locking down stud running back Todd Gurley on a four-year, $60 million deal with $45 million guaranteed, not to mention bringing in other sizable contracts on defense including Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters, and Aqib Talib.

With the Rams spending so freely in an attempt to go all-in while quarterback Jared Goff is still getting paid on his rookie deal, football fans were waiting for the team to break out the checkbook to ensure the centerpiece of the Los Angeles defense would be on the field for Week 1.

Now, it's clear that Donald will be present and accounted for at the Rams' season opener, and will be there for years to come.

#LARams + @aarondonald97 agree to terms on a six-year extension.

Read 📰 » https://t.co/I0gsAUnZHt pic.twitter.com/8QAAji2h0j
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 31, 2018

Donald has been one of the most dominant players in football since he entered the league as the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He's recorded 39.0 sacks since his NFL debut that year — more than any interior lineman in that timeframe — despite regularly demanding a double-team from opposing linemen.

The deal is the third record-setting contract agreed to this week in the NFL.

All in same week:

Aaron Donald became highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Aaron Rodgers became highest-paid player in NFL history.

And OBJ became highest-paid WR in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2018

With the deal, the list of looming monster contracts in the league is down to two, with Le'Veon Bell and Khalil Mack still waiting with hopes of an upcoming payday.