McVay, Rams request Donald end holdout this week

Head coach Sean McVay chose not to push his starters in the preseason, but the Los Angeles Rams are making it known the time is now for defensive tackle Aaron Donald to end his holdout and report to the team to begin preparing for Week 1.

McVay said he would not place a hard deadline on Donald's arrival, but he spelled out the reality of the situation.

"I think in an ideal situation, you get a week and a half, two weeks of preparation," McVay said. "[He's] kind of been through a situation like this if he is able to report. But I think for us to be able to fully acclimate him and get him into a spot that would make us feel good about him feeling good some of the things schematically and then also getting the work necessary just from a 'getting your body acclimated to truly playing football,' I'd say you'd like to have him by the end of this week."

Optimism peaked Aug. 8 when general manager Les Snead said, and McVay repeated, the two sides were close to coming to an agreement on contract terms.

"Let's put it this way: There's increased dialogue," McVay said last week. "There's more ... we feel positive about the direction that these things are going. I think there's a level of urgency that's being displayed from us. I know that they know how much we value him and appreciate Aaron. Hopefully, we'll see some things change on that front sooner than later, but it's still kind of in the same boat."

Snead said the Rams and Donald were "in the same ZIP code, area code, ballpark" in their negotiations. Snead, who said the Rams have an offer on the table, clarified that "ZIP code usually means you're close, but we still haven't agreed."

Since then, nearly weeks have passed.

Aug. 9 -- 30 days before the NFL season opener -- marked the deadline for players to report to training camp in order to accrue a season toward free agency. However, that deadline -- which Donald missed last year when he held out for all of camp -- wasn't expected to spur any action to reach an agreement.

"I know there's a huge level of urgency from our side in terms of how important he is, wanting to be proactive about trying to find a solution, get this thing done. We'll see if we can get that situation handled," McVay said.

After waiting to report until Week 1 last year, Donald has just three seasons accrued toward free agency. By not reporting on time this season, he would be eligible only for the restricted free agency, rather than unrestricted, when his contract is scheduled to expire in the spring. In either instance, however, the Rams very likely would use the franchise tag on Donald to prevent him from negotiating with other teams, assuming no extension is signed before then.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Donald very likely is seeking to become the highest-paid defender in league history, but it's unclear how much of a gap remains between the two sides in negotiations. Von Miller leads all NFL defenders with a deal that averages just over $19 million annually.

The Rams have been able to reach deals with other core players recently, extending both wideouts Brandin Cooks and running back Todd Gurley in a span of a week before training camp opened. They consistently have been vocal about their plan to re-sign Donald.

Donald, 27, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons and has three first-team All-Pro nods. He earned just over $10.1 million from 2014-17 and is due $6.9 million this season, the fifth-year option of his rookie deal.

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