Los Angeles Rams Make Contract Decision on Aaron Donald Amidst Retirement Talks

By Brian Jones

The Los Angeles Rams just made Aaron Donald very rich. According to multiple reports, the Rams reworked Donald's contract to give him a $40 million raise over the last three years of his existing contract. The total value of the superstar defensive lineman's new contract is $95 million, making him the first non-quarterback to hit over $30 million per season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Donald is taking his physical and is expected to sign the contract on Monday. 

The contract comes as Donald was considering retiring from the NFL if he didn't get a new deal. "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. "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 a type of situation. I'll be fine regardless." Donald has accomplished everything an NFL player can in a career, including winning a Super Bowl, which happened for him and the Rams in February. Donald has been in the league for eight seasons and has talked 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."  Along with being a Super Bowl champion, Donald is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, a seven-time All-Pro First Team selection and has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year he's been in the league.

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