The Cowboys need to pick up the phone, baby.

Week 1 has already started and the Los Angeles Rams are now moving forward without Aaron Donald. The fourth-year defensive tackle, drafted in the 2014 first round, is unhappy with his rookie deal, and wants to be paid according to his status as the league’s best interior defensive lineman. The Rams aren’t budging, not only frowning on rewarding a player who is sitting out and hurting his team on the field, but also not happy with a player demanding to be paid while still under team control for two more years.

There’s an easy solution to all of this. The Rams need to trade Donald to Dallas. He’d be Bob Lilly 2.0.

Dismiss all of the notions about never truly being one player away. Jerry, Stephen, Mr. Will McClay… Make it happen, captain.

Fans can’t wait to see what Wade Phillips would do with Donald? So imagine what Rod Marinelli, who groomed a young Warren Sapp, could do with him.

Aaron Donald is a SPECIAL kind of athlete. @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/jq8z8Ofjev — Paul Maland (@PaulMalandNFL) August 2, 2017

The Cowboys with Aaron Donald would be a defensive masterpiece. Pairing a player who often times deserves to be triple-teamed, with up-and-coming defensive tackle Maliek Collins would be more than formidable. Collins can play nose tackle as well as three-technique in this defense. This could work, Donald as the new Bob Lilly and Collins as the new Jethro Pugh.

**READ: 5 Things to Watch for in Cowboys-Giants Matchup**

Dallas would likely have to give up two first-round picks for Donald, in addition to giving him a ridiculous new contract. It can be worked out, even with the club not signing Zack Martin yet. With Donald in tow, the Cowboys would be picking in the final four picks of the first round anyway, and they seem to already be showing a newfound mastery of the draft. They can still get great draft hauls without first rounders.

The Cowboys will be making some tough calls down the line with their stars. They still have multiple years of control over Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. It’s likely two seasons before they renegotiate with the quarterback and four for the running back.

There’s just under $12 million of cap space waiting for the Cowboys in 2018 after Jason Witten retiring and releasing DT Tyrone Crawford. They account for another $13.5 million in base salary on the 2019 cap.

Tony Romo’s dead money will have moss growing on its tombstone by then.

Dallas currently have $15 million of cap space to roll over from this year. There’s space to do an extension for Martin and give Donald the money he deserves.

When one factors in Donald won’t have to pay state taxes on the 8 games a year he’d play in Texas, compared to the outrageous tax rate of California?

Win.

Pay him. Pay Donald. Keep drafting young DEs, sign bargain vets who can only play 20 snaps a game. This dynamic duo would shatter pockets and disrupt everything. Who cares who is on the outside?

It is not Donald’s fault he was drafted by the Rams, nor is it his fault his first five years of service were promised to that franchise. Heck, it’s not even his choice the Rams relocated to Los Angeles last season. Hard and fast beliefs about when a player should be able to renegotiate his deal are archaic. Donald is clearly the best interior defender in the game (counting J.J. Watt as a defensive end) and he had no choice but to be where he is, nor for how much he is compensated. He couldn’t auction his services to the highest bidder, so when he obviously outplays his deal, why shouldn’t he try to get more money?

The CBA explicitly allows teams to negotiate with a player after three accrued seasons.

Aaron Donald has the 4th most QB hits in the last 3 seasons. Where does he rank among elite pass rushers? pic.twitter.com/X9yeIS2cj4 — NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 9, 2017

The Rams insistence they will not negotiate with him is their choice. Not reporting to the team is Donald’s choice as well. By now, fans should no longer be in the simple mindset that a player who had no choice in situation, can’t demand to be rightfully compensated when he outplays his deal. Many first-round picks bust. Many go on to having just solid careers. Aaron Donald is a bonafide superstar and as such, he should be able to renegotiate his contract. If the Rams don’t want to, then the Rams should be forced to suffer the consequences of Donald pursuing the only leverage he has, sitting out.

Here’s the skinny of it all.

Donald will not accrue a season towards free agency this year no matter what. He didn’t report to the team by August 5. Players must report at least 30 days prior to the start of the regular season or else they vacate the accrued season.

However, because Donald was a first-round pick and the Rams enabled the fifth-year option, it means nothing. A player needs just four accrued seasons in order to be an unrestricted free agent. As Donald is under contract for 2018, that will serve as his fourth accrued year and he’ll be eligible for free agency, or the franchise tag, after next season.

Yes, the Rams could lose Donald for the entire 2017 campaign.

Next season, Donald can miss all of the offseason work again, then report 30 days before the 2018 regular season commences, play six games and then sit out again. Bam, he’s a free agent, and instead of having the game’s best player for two seasons, the Rams get six games.

This obviously isn’t ideal for Donald, either. Sitting out an entire season, and then the final two-thirds of the following season, isn’t a great look, nor is it conducive to maintaining his skill level.

However, suffering two years worth of aches and pains just because other people developed a system that traps you in a certain salary range isn’t ideal either. Players only have so much wear and tear they can put on their bodies.

The Rams aren’t close to competing, and while Donald is young enough to be the biggest building block in their new direction, one player doesn’t make that team. He could, however, be the domino that sets Dallas up for immediate Super Bowl aspirations.

Will Los Angeles move him? Probably not. But with no end in sight for his holdout, now is definitely the time to check in with the Rams’ GM Les Snead and see how he’s feeling about things.