Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald has spoken out about his future in the league following speculation over what he’s set to do next.

When it comes to players that strike fear into the heart of opponents around the league, there are arguably none that do it better than the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald. 

In his 8 years so far in the league, he has put up some incredible numbers, including 441 combined tackles, 226 QB hits, 150 tackles for loss and 98 sacks to go along with 8 Pro Bowl appearances, 7 First-team All-Pro honours, 3 NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and finally this year a Super Bowl ring that without a doubt is setting him up for a place in the Hall of Fame:

Whether those numbers are set to go up though in the coming seasons though, remains to be seen, because Donald’s place with the Rams for next season is far from confirmed.

Setting the stage for where we are now

Talks about his future started before last season had even begun, as he told NBC reporter Rodney Harrison that there was a chance he would walk away from the game if the Rams were successful over the Cincinnati Bengals:

However it seems as though money, rather than just what he has accomplished in the game will also play a role in whether or not he comes back as a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler claimed “Donald has a number he will play for. If it's not met, retirement can still go down. Adding years to an already existing three-year pact takes Donald well into his mid-30s, and who knows whether he wants to play that long?”

Rams coach Sean McVay though still appears to be pretty confident that the 31-year-old will come back, stating in a recent press conference that dialogue between the two sides was “good”. 

What’s Aaron Donald had to say? 

Appearing on the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast (quoted by Ari Meirov), Donald spoke about his future and appeared to place the pressure on getting a new deal sorted squarely at the foot of the Rams, as he stated that whilst he wants to play more following the Super Bowl win, he can only do it at the right price, and that he will happily walk away if his terms are not met:

And if you’re the Rams, when you have someone with that level of dominance over the game making that request to you, it really should make them think twice and make sure they give him the right offer, because they really can’t afford to lose him.