Aaron Donald has accomplished just about everything he possibly can in the NFL, from winning Defensive Player of the Year three times to leading the league in sacks to winning a Super Bowl ring. He considered retirement after the Rams won their championship 15 months ago, but he ultimately decided to return thanks to a lucrative new contract through the 2024 season.
After a terrible 5-12 season and a complete roster teardown, some wondered if Donald might retire to avoid going through a rebuild this late in his career. On Wednesday, Donald answered that question, saying he didn’t really consider it.
“Umm, not really,” he said. “Honestly, you never want to want to end your career the way how it was last year, so it never really crossed my mind. So I was just trying to do everything I can to get myself healthy to be here today.”
Not exactly a confidence-exuding answer from the future Hall of Famer, but hey, at least he’s committed to the Rams for 2023. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. He has $30 million to play for in 2024 if he does want to continue wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, but he’s clearly flirted with retirement before so who knows how much longer he’ll want to play – especially if the Rams’ rebuild doesn’t go as quickly as the team hopes.
For now, Donald will be the leader on defense now that Leonard Floyd, Jalen Ramsey and Bobby Wagner are gone.
