Aaron Donald's Retirement Stance Is Clear as Los Angeles Rams Negotiations Drag On
Aaron Donald is making it clear when it comes to his NFL future. Before the Super Bowl, it was reported that Donald is considering retirement. Now that the superstar defensive lineman helped the Los Angles Rams win a championship, he's looking for a new contract as he's entering the final season of his current deal. But if Donald doesn't get a new contract, he will likely retire.
"It ain't about the money, but it's a business at the end of the day," Donald told Brandon Marshall's I Am Athlete podcast, per CBS Sports. "That's what you've got to see. For me, it's about winning. I don't want to play football if I can't win anyway, so I feel like if I got a real opportunity to win another Super Bowl, then it makes sense to play.
"But again, it's still a business. We've got to handle the business side of things, and if that wasn't to get handled then, you know, it is what it is type of situation. I'll be fine regardless." When it comes down to it Donald has nothing more to prove as a player as he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But the 31-year-old admitted he thought about retirement well before the Super Bowl.
"But me talking about retirement, that was happening way before we won a Super Bowl," he said. "I've been saying that since I got into the league that I was going to play eight years and be done. That's just what I've been saying. It just came out and then everybody thinks that, 'Oh, he said if he wins a Super Bowl he's going to retire.' Nah, I got teammates, coaches, my family who know about this. I said I'm going to play eight years, and I'm going to probably be done playing football."
Donald was selected by the Rams at No. 13 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has made the Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league and has been named to the All-Pro First Team seven times. Along with winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, Donald has been named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2020. In his career, Donald has recorded 98 tackles, 23 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.