On Sunday afternoon during roster cutdowns, defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced his return to the Los Angeles Rams. After being out of the league for two years and months of contemplating a return, Donald officially decided to come back and play alongside Myles Garrett. While the decision may have been the easy part, the Rams and Donald still needed to figure out his contract. When Donald retired following the 2023 season, he walked away from $30 million. The Rams paid out those guarantees, but the overall structure of the contract remained a question. According to OverTheCap, Donald will get a $10 million base salary, and his contract is worth up to $20 million before incentives. He can earn an additional $10 million through playing-time and playoff incentives, bringing the total value to $30 million.Aaron Donald Rams Contract | Over The CapAs detailed by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, while Donald had been due $30 million, that number was reduced to the league minimum when he retired for cap purposes. Donald’s old contract will be replaced with a new deal and the Rams won’t have to move anything around cap-wise. “Donald will get $10 million in base pay and another $10 million in 53-man-roster bonuses,” wrote Breer. “Then there’s another $10 million in playing time/playoff incentives. The playing time triggers are very achievable, even if Donald is in a rotation. Getting all the way back to $30 million requires a Super Bowl, but if the Rams are just really good again, Donald should get to $25 million.”How Aaron Donald’s Contract Impacts the Rams’ Salary CapPrior to Donald making his decision, there was some uncertainty about how he would fit under the current salary cap. The Rams only had around $15.3 million in cap space. There were some things that the Rams could have done to open up more cap space, but it doesn’t appear that the Rams will have to do that. If they needed to, the Rams could have re-worked Davante Adams’ deal to open up $11.4 million. However, Donald will only count for $10 million against the cap, leaving them with around $5.6 million in current cap space. The Rams typically like to go into the season with closer to $10 million in cap space, giving them flexibility for trades and practice squad activations. An in-season trade may become unlikely, but the Rams should still have enough for weekly practice squad activations as necessary. After all of the questions and uncertainty surrounding what Donald’s new deal could look like, it doesn’t appear that his contract will affect the Rams as much as initially thought. The Rams and Donald came to a resolution that works for both sides. Rams Receive Roster Exemption for Aaron DonaldAnother twist is that the commissioner granted a two-game roster exemption for the Rams and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Essentially, the Rams have been given a bonus roster spot as Donald gets acclimated to the roster. The roster exemption will expire on September 11. There were plenty of logistical hurdles that came with Donald’s return, but the Rams navigated them perfectly without having to make any significant changes that would impact the salary cap down the line. Now, the Rams can focus on getting Donald ready for the season and seeing how he fits on one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow