Aaron Donald was one of the noticeable names absent from the start of organized team activities for the Los Angeles Rams.

With organized team activities officially underway for the Los Angeles Rams, it’s only a matter of time before training camp arrives in a few months, and the team looks to improve from last year’s disastrous 4-12 finish. At the moment, all signs point to the Rams improving from last year’s four wins when looking at what new head coach Sean McVay has done to revamp the offense, but the one area to focus on over the next few months may be on the defensive side of the football with Aaron Donald.

The defensive superstar was the one key name absent from the beginning of organized team activities last week, and based off numerous reports, the reasoning behind it seems to be due to his contract situation. Even though the team recently exercised his fifth-year option, there’s been plenty of chatter surrounding Los Angeles potentially rewarding him with a long-term deal, which obviously would be the right move.

Donald has only been in the league for only three seasons, and already there are many who believe he deserves consideration to be the highest-paid defender. The fact that Donald still managed to lead the league in 2016 with 31 quarterback hits while receiving extra attention from opponents shows how valuable he is to the Rams’ defense, and losing him down the road would be absolutely crushing to see.

The organization already made it clear a few months back that a new deal with Donald was one of the top priorities of the offseason, but now that he seems unhappy about the situation after skipping OTAs, it’s time for Los Angeles to stop messing around. No matter how much money it costs, the Rams should be willing to reward Donald with one of the league’s top contracts to make sure he sticks around with the team for the long run.

Otherwise, this could be one of those situations where the Rams look back, and wish they acted sooner for a new contract with Donald instead of making him wait. Plus, if Los Angeles was willing to pay an unproven wide receiver like Tavon Austin all of that money last offseason, rewarding someone like Donald should be a no brainer for the organization.