Rams star becomes highest-paid non-QB in NFL

Aaron Donald is set to “run it back” with the Los Angeles Rams.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year agreed Monday to a revised contract with the Rams that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Donald is now guaranteed $65 million over the next two seasons and $95 million through the 2024 season, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal financial terms of the agreement. 

NFL Network was first to report the news. 

Donald earns an additional $40 million through the agreement and becomes the highest-paid player outside of the quarterback position on the basis of average annual salary ($31.6 million per year). 

The Rams confirmed on Twitter that Donald had agreed to a revised deal.

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Donald, 31, helped lead the Rams to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in Los Angeles this past February, clinching the victory against the Cincinnati Bengals with a pressure on the final play. But he contemplated retirement throughout the offseason, saying on a May edition of the “I Am Athlete” podcast that he would be “at peace” with his career if he could not come to an agreement with the team.

Instead, Donald will follow the “run it back” mantra the team embraced during its Super Bowl parade and rejoin teammates for mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday.