When you get to the ripe age of 30, legacy discussions follow you around like a specter of doom. You can’t escape them. How will you be remembered? Where do you stand up to the other greats? What mark have you left on a game that leaves so many grasping at straws time and time again?
Few players have had as much impact on the NFL as Aaron Donald. If every star leaves a sizable imprint in the ground they walked, Donald’s would be the size of a T-Rex’s. When it comes to this six-foot, 284-pound titan–who finally won the Super Bowl with the Rams on Sunday–one might be able to argue his footprint is unmatched.
But there was always something missing in this living legend’s extensive ledger of accomplishments. Between the Pro Bowls (8), First-Team All-Pro selections (7), Defensive Player of the Year awards (3) and selection to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, one achievement eluded a man who has made a living of relentlessly chasing quarterbacks and ballcarriers down.
