The Rams said goodbye to Aaron Donald this week. The former #13 overall pick from a legendary 2014 NFL Draft Class, Donald commenced his career in St. Louis before the team packed up and moved to Los Angeles in 2016. While in Los Angeles, Donald’s career only continued to blossom as he would collect all three of his Defensive Player of the Year honors and take home a Super Bowl ring in 2021.
While Donald rides off into the sunset, we must also recall that the Rams once played in St. Louis. The “Greatest Show on Turf” found their way to Super Bowl glory in 1999, before failing to make the postseason every single season from 2004 to 2016, their first in Los Angeles.
The NFL is now down to only five players spread across the 32 active rosters that once played in St. Louis. Who are they?
Rams Have Only One Player on Roster Who Played in St. Louis
Rob Havenstein was one of the last draft picks the Rams would make while they were in St. Louis. A second-round selection in 2015, the Wisconsin alum soon found his way into the starting lineup and has gone on to have a solid career. In his near decade of play for the Rams, the tackle has racked up 130 career starts and has remained a rock in the team’s offense, including for their 2021 Super Bowl run.
Who Are the Other Four Former St. Louis Players?
Case Keenum, currently serving as C.J. Stroud’s backup for the Houston Texans, is among these former St. Louis Rams. Keenum made his way to the team in 2015 during their final campaign in the city so often called the “Gateway to the West”, and would briefly start for the team during Jared Goff’s 2016 rookie campaign.
Rodney McLeod, Greg Zuerlein, and Johnny Hekker found their way to the team during the 2012 NFL Draft, either as undrafted free agents or late-round selections. McLeod left the Rams just before their 2017 breakout campaign, and Zuerlein would follow after 2019, but Hekker, now a Carolina Panther, collected rings with Donald and Havenstein after Super Bowl 56.
With Aaron Donald's retirement, the pool of former St. Louis Rams players on NFL rosters is down to five players. pic.twitter.com/9KeaynvKnt
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 15, 2024
Could St. Louis get a new NFL Franchise?
Since the Rams left the city of St. Louis in 2016, the city has since seen a revival of football interest in the form of the St. Louis Battlehawks. An inaugural member of the XFL’s first attempted revival in 2020, and a returning member in 2023’s second revival, the Battlehawks will soon suit up to begin the UFL’s first season together after the two leagues agreed to a merger.
With two (non-continuous) seasons in the books, the Battlehawks have shown enough to revive at least some interest with getting an NFL team back to St. Louis. While old wounds remain for some St. Louis fans, time will tell how successful any expansion efforts will be, however. Should a new NFL club spring up in St. Louis, the Kansas City Chiefs and their dynasty will continue unabated on the other side of the state.