Rams A.D.? Aaron Donald Subject of 'Outrageous' Trade Proposal

As the Los Angeles Rams seek financial salvation, one of the most impact ... if not painful ... moves would be to trade franchise face and Super Bowl hero Aaron Donald.

So many modern Hollywood projects center upon budget cuts and legends stepping away from iconic roles. The Los Angeles Rams give into both in a list of hypothetical, if not goofy, NFL offseason happenings.

In a list compiled by USA Today's For the Win, the Rams get back south of the salary cap thanks to a fictional trade deal that appears on a list of 10 "outrageous" moves that could spice up the spring. That deal would involve Donald moving on to the victims of his championship mastery from Super Bowl LVI, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Trading Donald, list curator Cory Woodroof writes, would help all three parties involved: the Rams would find $13.5 million in cap savings (though that'd require patience on both sides, as those savings kick in after June 1), the Bengals would improve their already-sterling standing in the AFC, and Donald, whose name has lingered on retirement watch, would find a second football wind playing with a contender.

"The Los Angeles Rams seem like they’re trying to do whatever they can to get out of cap hell, and there is a move they could make to really supercharge that effort," Woodruff declares. "Pairing Donald with D.J. Reader and B.J. Hill on the interior would create nightmares for opposing offensive lines, and it’s the luxury move a team like Cincinnati could make. 

"The Rams could think about the future, and the Bengals could make their case as the AFC’s best team."

Donald, 31, fell victim to the Rams' cursed title defense, one that cost him the final six games of the season due to a high ankle sprain. Despite mustering only 49 tackles and five sacks, Donald was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl, one of two Los Angeles nominees after Jalen Ramsey was admitted as an alternate.

Retirement has been constantly referenced when talking about Donald's future, a departure that surfaced shortly after his elusive Super Bowl victory. He caused a slight stir during the NFL postseason by erasing any Rams references from his social media profiles but more or less clarified his intentions to return for a 10th season.  

Trading Donald would certainly be an "outrageous" occurrence, one the Rams would likely only enact out of true financial desperation. As it stands, the team is over $14.8 million over the salary cap as the new NFL year looms next week.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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