The Los Angeles Rams announced they have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
The deal is worth $6.892 million, guaranteed for injury only, and will be fully guaranteed on the first day of the 2018 league year, a league source told ESPN's Field Yates.
Even though the Rams picked up Donald's option, they're already thinking about extending him long term.
"It's definitely coming," Rams GM Les Snead said at the combine. "The guy deserves a raise, there's no doubt."
The Rams are the first team to officially use the fifth-year option this year.
Donald, 25, is regarded as one of the league's best players, regardless of position. He has 28 career sacks over 48 games and has been named first-team All-Pro the last two years. In 2016, Donald led the NFL in quarterback hits (31) and was tied for the lead in tackles for loss (17).
Pro Football Focus graded him the league's third-best overall player, behind only Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Falcons receiver Julio Jones.
NFL teams have until May 3 to make a decision on this option.
The Rams are unlikely to pick up the fifth-year option on offensive lineman Greg Robinson, the second pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Robinson has struggled mightily at left tackle the last three years and will move to right tackle now that the team has signed veteran Andrew Whitworth.
Donald is set to make a base salary of $1,802,250 in 2017. His fifth-year option for 2018 is the average of the third- to 25th-highest-paid players at his position, since Donald was a first-round pick who wasn't taken within the top 10.
Seemingly the only way the Rams can sign Donald long term would be by making him the game's highest-paid defensive player, which would require projecting ahead to what that would even look like by the time he is a free agent.
The highest-paid defensive player is Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller, who signed a six-year, $114.5 million contract, with $70 million guaranteed, last July. After Miller are a couple of defensive tackles: Ndamukong Suh of the Dolphins (six-year, $114.375 million with nearly $60 million guaranteed) and Fletcher Cox of the Eagles (six-year, $102.6 million contract with nearly $63.3 million guaranteed).
Information from ESPN Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez was used in this report.