Donald has appeared in each of the first 48 games of his career, starting the last 44 for the franchise. He's recorded 28.0 sacks and led the league with 31 quarterback hits in 2016 — five more than No. 2 Khalil Mack. Donald came close to breaking the franchise record of sacks for a defensive tackle with 11.0 in 2015, and has been a AP first team All-Pro for the last two years.

As they have both done previously, Snead and head coach Sean McVay said Thursday they would keep the specifics of the contract discussions in-house. But Snead did characterize the dialogue as open.

"I think we're working to find the resolution," Snead said. "I don't want to get into optimistic or pessimistic because it's a complicated situation, and [we] respect Aaron and his group. We're working to try to find a win-win."

As one of the most productive defensive players in the league, the team would certainly feel an impact should Donald not report. If that does end up being the case, McVay said the team will have to react accordingly.

"I think, certainly, Aaron's a great player. He's one of the best players in this league, especially at his position," McVay said. "But it's one of those deals with the NFL — whether it's guys not reporting or injuries for whatever matter — guys have to be able to step up. And we feel very confident in our defensive depth.