After a decade of utterly dominating opposing offenses and rewriting the record books, Aaron Donald, the fearsome defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, has decided to retire from the National Football League at the age of 32.
The announcement on Friday brought an end to one of the most awe-inspiring individual career runs in recent sports history. Donald departs the gridiron as arguably the greatest defensive player of his era and a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically – 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be,” Donald said in his retirement statement released through the Rams. “As I turn my focus to a new chapter, I don’t know what the future holds, but I am excited about the off-the-field possibilities.”
A Defensive Force Like No Other
What made Donald’s career so spellbinding was his unparalleled ability to disrupt opposing offenses from the interior defensive line – an extraordinarily difficult task in today’s pass-happy NFL. At just 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, he did not cut the typical profile of an immovable run-stuffing defensive tackle.
Instead, armed with sublime technique, preternatural quickness, and a voracious non-stop motor, Donald overwhelmed much larger offensive linemen with a rare combination of power, agility and relentlessness. He simply could not be single-blocked.
“You always try to get four hands on him and he knows it and he wins anyway,” said Raheem Morris, Donald’s former defensive coordinator with the Rams. “He turns those double-teams into two separate one-on-ones. He absolutely takes his time and never misses with his hands.”
The stats back up the eye-popping impact. Per analytics from Next Gen Stats, Donald faced a league-high 1,510 double-team blocks over the past five seasons – a ridiculous 135 more than any other player. Yet he still managed to beat 186 of those within 2.5 seconds, 51 more than anyone else.
Those numbers paint the picture of a one-man wrecking crew constantly demanding double and even triple teams from offensive lines, only to shed them with ease and penetrate into the backfield to blow up plays before they could develop.
“You did everything you could in the game plan to try to eliminate him from the game or not let him ruin the game,” Morris added. “And first play of the game you call a scat [added protection] and you turn the protection to him and he almost hits your quarterback on a three-step drop. And you’re like, that was awful and it’s going to be a miserable day.”
A Rare Blend of Dominance and Longevity
While known primarily for his ferocious pass rush prowess, Donald’s greatness stemmed from his comprehensive mastery as an all-around defensive lineman. He could line up anywhere across the defensive front and wreck game plans by blowing up running plays in the backfield or collapsing the pocket with his bull rushes.
Offenses simply could not account for his rare blend of size, speed, power and non-stop motor for 60 minutes. Donald routinely took over games and left opponents grasping for solutions that never came.
“He has changed that position,” said former NFL offensive lineman Justin Pugh. “And he’s changed it and gotten a lot of guys paid to play that position.”
What makes Donald’s level of excellence even more jaw-dropping is how he sustained it for a full decade at the absolute highest level. Very few defensive players in league history have been able to put together 10 consecutive seasons of elite play and production.
Donald earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 8 of his 10 seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl every single year – making him one of only two players since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to do so, along with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. He won NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, tying him for the most ever.
“He’s one of one,” said Morris. “And not just because I coached him. It’s because of his impact on the game, his impact on the inside, on what he was able to do. You’ve got to put him up with the likeness of Lawrence Taylor … ‘Mean’ Joe Greene. He’s in that walk of life.”
The Workout Warrior
Those who watched Donald day-in and day-out at the Rams’ training facility witnessed an unrelenting workout warrior whose conditioning and preparation simply outclassed his peers.
“His workouts at the Rams facility will remain legendary, and newcomers often thought — or at least hoped — they could keep up,” wrote Sarah Barshop of ESPN in her story on Donald’s retirement.
Rams director of strength and conditioning Justin Lovett kept a tongue-in-cheek “AD’s Body Count” list on his whiteboard of all the players who tried and failed to complete one of Donald’s punishing workout routines.
Rookie defensive linemen like Kobie Turner and Desjuan Johnson learned that lesson the hard way in training camp last summer when they had to be added to the list after cramping up halfway through trying to hang with Donald.
“He’s ridiculous. He’s in there all the time, in the mornings, all the time after practice,” Turner said. “It’s just impossible to try to keep up with, but it’s a good thing to strive for, for sure.”
In addition to his physical prowess, Donald’s legendary status came from his elite mental makeup and unquenchable drive to be the best. He studied opponent’s tendencies and picked up on subtle hints from coaches to sniff out plays before the snap.
“He’s an intelligent player. He’s hearing our calls,” said former Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. “I don’t care, just double him. I’m just trying to find him and lend some help. Everybody’s got all sorts of different plans for it…I’m sure he has seen it all and found a way to beat them all.”
Career Culmination: A Super Bowl Championship
While his ridiculous stat lines, awards and on-field dominance built his legacy year after year, one glaring hole remained unfilled in Donald’s career resume heading into the 2021 season – a Super Bowl championship.
That all changed on the biggest stage of Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals when Donald sealed the Rams’ 23-20 victory with the signature play of his storied career.
On 4th down with the game hanging in the balance, Donald bull-rushed through the middle and flushed young quarterback Joe Burrow from the pocket, causing his final desperate heave to fall incomplete and clinch the Rams’ title.
After finally capturing that elusive ring, Donald celebrated in epic fashion – sprinting around the field with his arms outstretched as he basked in the glory before pointing emphatically to his ring finger.
It was the culminating crowning achievement for an inner-circle all-time great whose appetite for greatness pushed him to completely devour his competition and opposition at every turn.
“Aaron Donald absolutely ruins practices,” said Morris. “And you’ve got to take him out to get some things done on offense. And then by the time you get to the game, it’s all fun for him.”
A New Generation Inspired
While the end of Donald’s playing days is a bittersweet moment for football fans witnessing the departure of a once-in-a-lifetime talent, his enduring impact extends far beyond the field.
In recent seasons, Donald seemed to take particular delight in mentoring and celebrating alongside the Rams’ emerging crop of young defensive linemen – players like Turner and Byron Young who he left wide-eyed by consistently exhibiting the work ethic, attention to detail and physical skills that made him unblockable.
Perhaps most tellingly, after a Week 13 game against Cleveland this past season where Donald and Turner teamed up for a sack and safety, Morris noticed the legend and his protege sharing an unusually jubilant moment.
“I had never seen Aaron show that type of emotion, skipping with this guy and just youthful bliss for him,” Morris recalled. “And it really showed the impact in who he was and what he was trying to do. And I thought that was outstanding.”
As the torch gets passed to the next wave of defensive line talent in the NFL, Donald ensured they understand the need to bring a championship-caliber mindset every single day – both on the practice field and in the weight room.
An Irreplaceable Phenom
Replacing a player of Donald’s transcendent caliber is impossible. A defensive game-wrecker who required the combined efforts of multiple elite offensive linemen simply to try keeping him from blowing up every play is a truly rare phenomenon that may not come along again for decades.
“He makes you pay in game-changing plays,” said Morris. “And that was the genius and the beauty of Aaron Donald.”
While the Rams and their fanbase will miss Donald’s superhuman presence taking over games and willing his team to victory, his lasting legacy as an all-time great is forever cemented. Few players have ever impacted the game in such a destructive yet artful way.
After toiling for a decade at the absolute apex of his craft, leaving behind countless flabbergasted opponents and rewriting the record books, Donald’s final act was to walk away from the game at his overwhelming peak – much like other legendary talents such as Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers before him.
So as an appreciative NFL world bids farewell to its latest disruptive defensive force, fans can only say thanks for the memories and the impeccable standard of sustained excellence that Aaron Donald came to embody at the very highest level.
