Aaron Donald spent 10 years flattening quarterbacks, crushing ball-carriers, preventing by way of perpetual double-teams and usually wrecking NFL offenses. He was relentless, dependable and infinitely resourceful whereas he led the Los Angeles Rams all the best way to a Tremendous Bowl championship.
And on Friday, Donald determined a decade of dominance was sufficient.
Essentially the most completed defensive lineman of his technology has retired after a stellar 10-year profession.
The three-time AP NFL Defensive Participant of the Yr made his considerably shocking announcement on social media. He doesn’t plan to have a retirement information convention or any public farewell, however his affect on the Rams and the NFL is already indelible.
The 32-year-old Donald spent his complete profession with the Rams, who drafted him within the first spherical in 2014 out of Pitt. The Pittsburgh native was chosen for 10 Professional Bowls and eight All-Professional first groups, and he received the award because the league’s high defensive participant in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
“All through my profession, I’ve given my all the things to soccer each mentally and bodily – twelve months a yr was devoted to changing into the very best participant I could possibly be,” Donald stated in an announcement. “I revered this recreation like no different, and I’m blessed to have the ability to conclude my NFL profession with the identical franchise that drafted me. Not many individuals get drafted to a crew, win a world championship with that crew and retire with that crew. I don’t, and won’t, take that with no consideration.”
Though smaller than many high defensive tackles, Donald used his extraordinary athleticism and recreation savvy to wreak havoc on offenses all through his profession. He was the cornerstone of each Rams protection throughout his tenure, drawing ordinary double-teams away from his teammates and nonetheless racking up a franchise-record 111 sacks, third within the NFL amongst energetic gamers.
After profitable the NFL’s defensive rookie of the yr award in 2014, Donald reached the height of his stardom after the Rams franchise moved from St. Louis again to Los Angeles in 2016. He had a career-high 20 and a half sacks in 2018 on the best way to his first Tremendous Bowl look below coach Sean McVay.
He then performed a significant position within the Rams’ run to a Tremendous Bowl victory three years later, most famously making use of the stress that pressured Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow to throw incomplete at midfield on the Bengals’ closing play of Los Angeles’ 23-20 victory in Tremendous Bowl LVI.
After that cease, Donald offered one other defining second of the Rams’ championship season by taking off his helmet, pointing to his ring finger and shouting: “Ring me!” His joyous, shirtless trip atop a double-decker bus throughout the Rams’ victory parade in Los Angeles can also be an iconic second in crew lore.
“The good gamers in our league elevate the folks round them, and Aaron has modeled the best way for our crew so long as I’ve been with the Rams,” McVay stated in an announcement. “He’s an elite competitor, somebody who leads by instance in a approach that’s genuine to him, and an distinctive teammate who conjures up everybody round him to be the most effective model of themselves.”
Lawrence Taylor and JJ Watt are the one different gamers to win the defensive participant of the yr award thrice. Solely John Randle (137 and a half) has recorded extra sacks than Donald amongst defensive tackles since sacks turned an official statistic in 1982.
Though he spent most of his time away from soccer residing quietly together with his spouse and 4 kids, Donald’s evident greatness and McVay’s teaching acumen are the 2 largest components within the Rams’ ascent within the Los Angeles sports activities hierarchy because the crew returned house. Throughout McVay’s seven years with Donald, the Rams racked up six profitable seasons, 5 playoff berths, three NFC West titles, two Tremendous Bowl appearances and a hoop whereas profitable over many skeptical followers within the nation’s second-largest market.
Donald was slated to make over $34m this season below the phrases of a contract that was renegotiated practically two years in the past. Though Donald had reportedly flirted with retirement for the previous two seasons in non-public, the Rams and Donald hadn’t publicly acknowledged his departure was an actual chance.
However over the previous two months, Tremendous Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Raheem Morris left for the Atlanta Falcons’ head teaching job, and line of defense coach Eric Henderson left for the same job at Southern California. Henderson and Donald are shut associates.
“We’re so grateful for Aaron’s dedication to greatness and for main our franchise on and off the sector for the previous decade,” Rams proprietor Stan Kroenke stated. “He has left his mark on generations of soccer followers and his accomplishments, coupled together with his work ethic and fervour, proceed to encourage his teammates, coaches and athletes throughout the globe. It’s a privilege to have witnessed one of many best gamers of all time, and we’re proud that Aaron Donald will eternally be a part of NFL historical past as a member of the Rams.”
Donald’s offseason coaching routine was famously demanding, however he has spoken of his love for that preparation due to the work ethic instilled in him by his father, who remodeled Donald from a self-described “lazy little child” right into a dynamo. Donald returned house to Pittsburgh throughout the Rams’ offseasons, figuring out at Pitt’s Aaron Donald Soccer Efficiency Middle – made potential by his seven-figure donation to his faculty.
Donald had 543 profession tackles, together with 176 tackles for loss, and 24 pressured fumbles. He had 34 tackles and 6 sacks in his 11 profession postseason video games.
Donald additionally was extremely sturdy, lacking solely six video games on account of damage in his 10 – all of them late within the 2022 season when the Rams have been already out of playoff competition.
“He meant a lot,” stated linebacker Bobby Wagner, Donald’s teammate in 2022. “The true factor was to look at him work, watch him work out. Not a number of D-linemen actually put in that work within the movie room in addition to on the sector. He was in a position to take action a lot in his profession, and he’s had an incredible profession, and I’m excited for no matter he has subsequent. Nice human being. Superb participant. One of many best.”
Just one participant is now left on the Rams’ roster who additionally performed in St Louis: Rob Havenstein, who continues to be the Rams’ beginning proper deal with.
