It is the end of a great run in the ‘City of Angeles’.
Los Angeles Rams superstar and future first ballot Hall of Famer, Aaron Donald, has decided to retire from the game at the age of 32.. He will go down in the record books as one of the most accomplished, revered and dominant defensive players the NFL has ever seen.
He announced the news on his social media platform on Friday. Now quarterbacks can breathe a little bit easier all over the league.
“For 10 years, I have been fortunate to play the game of football at the highest level,” Donald wrote. “I’m thankful for the people I’ve met along the way, the relationships I’ve built and the things I’ve accomplished with my teammates and individually.”
Donald is only the third player in NFL history to be named Defensive Player of the Year three times. The other two players are Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt. He walks away with 111 sacks and a 2021 Super Bowl championship over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. The 10-time Pro Bowler accumulated double-digit sack totals in six of his seasons, never dropping below eight sacks per campaign in his career.
He earned seven consecutive First-Team All-Pro nods from 2015 to ’21, capturing another at the conclusion of the 2023 season for eight overall. A no-brainer for the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, he was one of six unanimous choices for the honor.
The Rams selected Donald with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. Donald did not waste any time making an impact, going on to become the Defensive Rookie of the Year. The team released a simple but effective statement after his announcement: “Quarterbacks Rejoice.”
Embed from Getty ImagesHe grew up in Pittsburgh and played the first two years of his NFL career in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Rams did not move to Los Angeles until after the 2015 season. He acknowledged and thanked the fans of St. Louis and Los Angeles in his statement.
Donald also thanked owner Stan Kroenke and his family, expressing further gratitude to everyone in the organization with whom he formed a relationship.
“There are far too many people in the organization to thank specifically, but I will never forget the relationships,” Donald wrote. “I appreciate everyone on the field, off the field and behind the scenes that made my job smooth. I know I’m going to miss my teammates and the camaraderie we had in the building, as well as the coaches who will continue to have a lasting impact on me.”
Over the last handful of seasons, the NFL average pass rush win rate against a single pass-blocker was 17% for a qualified rusher. Donald shattered that record completely, posting an 18% pass rush win rate against double-teams in that period of time, making him better against two pass-blockers than the average pass-rusher was against one over the past five years.
“The great players in our league elevate the people around them and Aaron has modeled the way for our team as long as I’ve been with the Rams,” head coach Sean McVay said in a statement. “He’s an elite competitor, someone who leads by example in a way that’s authentic to him, and an exceptional teammate who inspires everyone around him to be the best version of themselves.
“As great of a player as he is, he’s an even better person. He is truly one of one and epitomizes everything that’s right about sports. I will forever cherish the memories we’ve made and will always be grateful for how he poured everything into this game and into our team. He’s meant a lot to me personally and to my family.”
