Aaron Donald received a record-breaking contract extension from the Los Angeles Rams yesterday, and Kanye West is taking credit for making it happen.
Los Angeles Rams fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Rams inked star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who had previously toyed with the idea of retiring unless he got a new deal to a massive contract extension yesterday afternoon.
Donald has openly pondered retiring throughout the offseason, and it became a real possibility once the Rams won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals. Donald’s departure would have been a huge loss for the Rams, as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is the centerpiece of one of the best defensive units in the NFL.
With Donald back in tow, the Rams’ Super Bowl aspirations are still in place. The NFC is significantly weaker than the AFC, and the Rams may be the favorite to make it back to the Super Bowl out of the NFC with Donald officially back on board.
Aaron Donald’s partnership with Kanye West and Donda Sports may have helped push the deal through
Rams fans may have an unlikely figure to thank for Donald’s new deal, and that would be none other than Kanye West and his sports agency, Donda Sports. Donald recently partnered with Donda Sports prior to his extension, and quickly finalized the deal shortly after joining forces with the fledgling sports group. Coincidence? Kanye doesn’t seem to think so.
Kanye believes he and Donda Sports are fully responsible for Donald’s ground-breaking extension, and while he may have played a part in it, his role probably wasn’t as large as he seems to think it was. Donald’s new deal was primarily negotiated by the Rams front office and his agent, Todd France.
Donald’s partnership with Donda Sports is more about helping Donald expand his business ventures outside of sports. The partnership seemed to be a way for Donald to set himself up in the event that he were to actually retire from the game of football.
That doesn’t immediately make Kanye West, or anyone at Donda Sports, Donald’s agent, which obviously reduces their impact in helping this deal get done. Donald’s deal with West may have helped push the Rams to offer him a deal that works for him, as it showed Donald was preparing for life after football, regardless of whether he retired or not.
West has always been one for shenanigans, and he clearly thinks Donda Sports played a bigger role in Donald’s new deal than it did. If anything, the reverse is true, according to FanSided’s Bret Stuter. Aaron Donald’s name validated the new business outfit, which allowed Ye to capitalize on the hype and sign Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who is busy making his way through the NBA Finals.
However, Donald’s deal with Donda Sports shows that the group means business, and they likely won’t be fading to the background of the sports scene for quite some time.
