Aaron Donald just had his contract restructured to where he is receiving $95 million over the course of the next three seasons. With such a sizable deal being made, the question arises: was he worth the payout? 

Now, to many the answer to that question is of course the former Defensive Rookie of the Year, three time Defensive Player of the Year, eight time Pro Bowl selection, and most recently Super Bowl winner Donald deserves all the money he can get. However, this is a lot of money, even surpassing the contracts of notable quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Is Aaron Donald worth that kind of contract?

The answer is yes, no questions, just yes. Statistically this man has been a giant throughout his career and deserves the money that his position entails. I am not talking about being a defensive lineman, I am talking about being a leader. Quarterbacks make the big money because of their ability to lead and conduct the offense as they see fit in-game, with those who are the best at reading situations and adapting to them having the most success and, by proxy, making the most money. Donald is that and more for a defense and, as the saying goes, “The best offense is a good defense.” 

Donald leads by example to the point that we have come to  expect greatness from him everytime he steps onto the field. In eight seasons this man has already put himself at 40th all time on the sack leaderboard, 9th all time in tackles for loss, and 48th all time in forced fumbles. All in just eight seasons. That kind of talent is something special, something that is deserving of respect and a massive payday, like the one he just got. 

Aaron Donald is worth the money, but, that being said, I believe that the Rams are getting too greedy with all of their big payouts and eventually these star players will not be able to afford to continue playing together. So if I was the Rams, I would be throwing everything into these next two to three seasons, because after that, this dream team led by Donald falls apart.