Rams News: All-Pro Using Aaron Donald's Previous Contract Holdouts as Inspiration for His Own

NFC All-Pro pass rusher cites Aaron Donald past hold outs to defend his own absence from OTAs.

Oct 9, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) runs past Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams were fortunate to have the best defender of this generation in All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Donald spent 20 years with the Rams franchise and accomplished all he could in his career. While he will be missed and celebrated one day, his time in the organization wasn't always a smooth ride.

Donald fought for more money in two instances, which led to him holding out for an updated deal from the Rams in 2017 and 2018. Eventually, it all worked out for the Rams, and the same is happening with Dallas Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. Parsons would like a raise from his current rookie contract and skipped voluntary workouts earlier this spring.

Parsons recently skipped mandatory OTAs, which started on Tuesday, and it's likely he'll miss the rest of them until he gets an updated deal. The media asked about his absence, and Parsons cited Donald's holdout and how it had no effect on his game.

The Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken shared Parsons' comments via Twitter/X.

Cowboys DE Micah Parsons on criticism he should have attended voluntary workouts in spring: “There was a time when Aaron Donald didn’t even go to camp, and he won Defensive Player of the Year, and he led his team to the playoffs. Are we forgetting these times? You’re talking… https://t.co/xsefhAg5pk

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) June 4, 2024

"There was a time when Aaron Donald didn't even go to camp, and he won Defensive Player of the Year, and he led his team to the playoffs. Are we forgetting these times? You're talking about the best defensive player wasn't even in camp, and we're in minicamp, voluntary at that. … I'm just looking at it as time for my body to heal. I'm an undersized rusher who gets banged up every year. So, I'm just letting my body heal. I'm just trying to grow, strengthen and really just get better for the year."

Donald proved that missing games or camp did not affect him at all. In 2017, when he missed the first two games, he still recorded 11.5 sacks in 14 games and won his first Defensive Player of the Year award. In 2018, he was even better after getting a new six-year, $135 million extension that included $87 million guaranteed. Donald recorded a league-high 20.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss while earning his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award and leading L.A. to the Super Bowl.

It's unclear if Parsons' holdout will last until training camp, but he seems prepared to do that if push comes to shove. The 25-year-old is among the elite defenders in the league, recording 213 tackles and 40.5 sacks in 50 games.

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