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Rams’ Aaron Donald, seeking a new contract, is impressed by coach Sean McVay

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) leaves the field with Rams teammates at the end of practice in Thousand Oaks on June 13.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Five-year-old Cameron Winston waited patiently for his chance to take a picture with Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald at a football clinic at University High in Los Angeles on Thursday.

“You’re a defensive monster!” said Cameron, wearing Donald’s No. 99 jersey.

The youngster was right on the money.

The Rams, however, don’t seem to be quite there yet.

Donald, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, wants a new contract that reflects his 28 career sacks and matches his reputation as one of the most dominant defensive forces in the NFL.

Negotiations between the Rams and Donald’s representatives have been underway, general manager Les Snead has said, but as of Thursday no deal had been announced.

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“I’m just doing my job and just keeping myself how I’m supposed to keep myself, and that will handle itself,” Donald said when asked if a deal had been reached. “It’s a fun game but a serious business at the end of the day.”

Donald is scheduled to earn about $3.2 million in salary and bonuses this season. The Rams have exercised a fifth-year option that would pay him about $6.9 million in 2018.

Donald participated in a voluntary workout and minicamp in April, but did not attend three weeks of voluntary organized team activities the following month.

Earlier this month, Donald attended a mandatory three-day minicamp, presumably to avoid $80,405 in fines if he were to skip it. At the minicamp he went through conditioning workouts on the sideline but did not participate in football drills.

Donald, who was not made available to reporters during minicamp, said Thursday that he was excited to be around new coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

“McVay is a great coach and I think that he’s smart,” Donald said. “I got to talk to him and I was itching my head about a play and he came to me, a defensive play, and he told me he was supposed to do this, this and this and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I ain’t never had a coach that knew what was going on on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball.

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“Everybody knows Wade. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to be around the guy and learn from him.”

Rams rookies report to training camp on July 26 and the veterans on July 28 at UC Irvine, and practices begin the next day.

lindsey.thiry@latimes.com

Follow Lindsey Thiry on Facebook and Twitter @LindseyThiry

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