There may not have been a more dominant defensive player in the last decade than former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. In 10 NFL seasons, made 10 Pro Bowls, won Defensive Player Rookie of the Year, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and accumulated 111.0 sacks.
Last season, he played in 16 of 17 games, recording 8.0 sacks and 53 tackles. He finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was named First Team All-Pro for the eighth time in his career.
And then he retired.
Los Angeles Rams Fans Were Shocked that Aaron Donald Retired from the NFL
Donald’s decision to retire came as a shock because he was still arguably the best player at his position. He also walked away from $30 million guaranteed.
In an interview with Rams insider Stu Jackson, Donald said, “I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me. I will always love football, but to think about going through another camp and another 17-(game) season, I just don’t got the urge to want to push myself through that no more. I’m just, I’m burnt out.
“The best way to say it is I’m full, I’m complete. I’m satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years. I think it’s time for me at 32 years old to retire from football and jump into the next step of my career, my life. Now it’s time to move on.”
Rams fans, though, were not necessarily ready for him to move on. Losing such a dominant player on defense was sure to be a massive blow to the team. Some believed that he would come out of retirement after the season started and that he just did not want to do training camp anymore.
However, Donald’s wife has put all those notions to rest.
Los Angels Rams Fans Are Livid Regarding Aaron Donald’s Wife’s Latest Social Media Post
The Rams lost their opening game of the 2024 season in overtime to the Detroit Lions by the score of 26-20. Donald’s absence was sorely felt, especially in overtime as the Lions offense ran the ball down the field for the game-winning touchdown.
But the fans that thought Donald might come out of retirement soon were disappointed to see Erica Donald’s (Aaron’s wife) latest social media post:
Erica Donald confirming Aaron Donald is not coming out of retirement 🥺💙💛#Ramshouse pic.twitter.com/2kphuXzHUp
— Rams_Chick07 (@Rams_Chick07) September 8, 2024
Rams fans were not too thrilled about the video, which depicts Donald napping and Erica reminding fans that he is not coming out of retirement.
“She made him retire and is definitely not letting him come back,” one fan wrote.
One interesting comment read, “He is literally costing a team a shot at winning a SB twice. I understand family and all but life is too short to be selfish.”
Talk about a selfish point-of-view.
“We need Him and He over here napping,” said another fan.
Hopefully Rams fans can move on, because it sure seems like Donald has.
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