When the Los Angeles Rams faced the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI in February, there were reports that superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald was planning to retire. And it looks like Donald came very close to calling it a career as he wrote and submitted a retirement letter to the Rams on May 9, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The letter was reportedly on Athletes First letterhead and addressed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The letter was intended to be sent to the NFL office, but that never happened as Donald earned a big raise with the Rams.
While Donald’s retirement was pending, both sides continued to discuss a new contract. They were able to finally reach a deal on June 6, and Donald received a $40 million raise over three years. Before the new deal, Donald had three years remaining on his six-year $136 million contract. He still has three years on the new deal but will now make $95 million during that span.
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In May, Donald appeared on the I Am Athlete podcast and addressed the retirement rumors. “I’ll be fine regardless, but me talking about retirement, that was happening way before we won a Super Bowl,” Donald said, per Sportsnaut. “I’ve been saying that since I got into the league I was going to play eight years and be done. That’s just what I’ve been saying. … If I was to play, it’s just to win another Super Bowl, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it got to make sense to me and my family.”
Donald is one of the best defensive players in NFL history. He was selected by the Rams at No. 13 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Donald registered 48 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks, leading him to be named Defensive Rookie of the Year. His best season was in 2018 when he tallied 59 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks. Last season, Donald posted a career-high 84 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks before leading the team to a Super Bowl win. In his career, Donald has won Defensive Player of the Year three times, selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and named to the All-Pro First Team seven times.
