The Rams have exercised Aaron Donald‘s fifth-year option for the 2018 season, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The option is worth $6.892MM and is guaranteed for injury. The move was an absolute no-brainer for Los Angeles. 
Donald has been playing at an elite level in each of his three NFL seasons. Last year, Donald finished out as Pro Football Focus’ top ranked interior defender with a score of 95.8. Even Calais Campbell‘s career year (90.4) didn’t come close to taking the No. 1 spot from the Rams star. Remarkably, Donald had an even stronger showing in 2015 when he had a 96.6 score.
Donald, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 draft, is slated to play out 2017 at a $3.225MM cap figure. He’s on the books for roughly $6.9MM in 2018, but it’s more likely that the two sides will hammer out an extension between now and then.
A new deal for Donald should reset the market for defensive tackles. Currently, Ndamukong Suh has the top deal at six years and $114.4MM with $60MM guaranteed. Unlike Suh, Donald will not be negotiating his deal on the open market. However, a new pact this year would make him two years younger than Suh at the time of signing and the salary cap has increased significantly since Suh’s deal in 2015. There’s also this: Donald is arguably an even better player than Suh was in his prime.
While the Rams will be switching from a 4-3 to a hybrid 3-4 under Wade Phillips, the scheme change likely won’t impact Donald’s role in the defense or his ability to stifle opponents.