MARCH 27: Details of a Donald restructure surfaced shortly before the all-time great’s retirement announcement. Information about how much dead money the Rams will eat has since emerged.
Due to void years proration, the Rams will eat approximately $24MM in dead money this year and $9MM in 2025, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. The Rams did not exercise Donald’s 2024 option bonus, but the void years utilized — as was the case on the Buccaneers’ payroll when Tom Brady retired — will create considerable dead money.
MARCH 15: Aaron Donald threatened retirement two years ago, leading to a monster contract. The superstar defender played two seasons on that deal. Despite the second of those producing yet another first-team All-Pro honor, the all-time great announced Friday he will walk away from the game.
The Rams icon confirmed he is retiring after 10 seasons. This bombshell announcement will certainly wound the Rams’ defense, as Donald is among the greatest defenders in NFL history. The 10-year veteran will step away from football at just 32.
While this comes as a surprise, Donald has accomplished just about everything he could in the NFL. The 2014 first-round pick stampeded to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, matched Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt as the only three-time Defensive Player of the Year honorees and led the way in the Rams winning Super Bowl LVI. Donald’s 2023 rebound from a high ankle sprain produced his eighth first-team All-Pro honor, tying Reggie White and Bruce Smith for the most by a D-lineman in NFL history.
A year after his retirement threat produced a three-year, $95MM raise — an unprecedented move considering three years remained on the extension Donald signed in 2018 — the Pittsburgh alum said he was not considering retirement in 2023. But Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager notes this announcement does not come as a shock to the Rams’ coaches and front office staff. One season remained on Donald’s contract, which he restructured recently.
It is certainly arguable Donald is the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history. Offensive linemen did not enjoy the freedom they do now when tasked with blocking the likes of Joe Greene, Merlin Olsen and Alan Page, though those All-Century-teamers are firmly in the conversation. And rule changes have given offenses advantages they did not have in past eras. Donald reached unrivaled heights in a 10-year career; as injuries slowed Watt’s historic surge, Donald had no peer among modern D-linemen.
“The great players in our league elevate the people around them and Aaron has modeled the way for our team as long as I’ve been with the Rams,” head coach Sean McVay said. “He’s an elite competitor, someone who leads by example in a way that’s authentic to him, and an exceptional teammate who inspires everyone around him to be the best version of themselves.”
The lightning-quick DT will retire with 111 career sacks and 176 tackles for loss. The 2014 first-rounder only sustained one notable injury as a pro — the 2022 ankle ailment; otherwise, his dominance lasted uninterrupted for a decade. Donald collected Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017, 2018 and 2020, being the best player on two Rams Super Bowl teams and leading the way in preserving the franchise’s first Los Angeles-based title since 1951. Donald sacked Joe Burrow twice in Super Bowl LVI, and his fourth-down pressure cemented the team’s first Super Bowl win in 22 years.
Standing just 6-foot-1, Donald lasted until the No. 13 pick in 2014. The Les Snead-Jeff Fisher regime nabbed him there during the Rams’ penultimate year in St. Louis. Donald did not begin his career as a starter, but it became quickly apparent what kind of player the team had acquired. Donald moved into the St. Louis starting lineup in Week 5, never looking back.
Prior to 2022, Donald’s only previous absences came due to a 2017 holdout. Seeking an extension before his fourth season, the Pittsburgh native skipped training camp and sat out Week 1. Donald did report without an extension, with the Rams waiving his fines (when that was allowed under the 2011 CBA), but scored a record-setting payday a year later. Soon after the Bears extended Khalil Mack, the Rams gave Donald a six-year, $135MM extension with $50MM guaranteed at signing. Donald remained the top D-line earner throughout that contract, but after edge rushers began to surpass his deal by a notable margin, the 2022 retirement threat emerged.
Donald retirement noise stopped via the Rams contract agreement that June, but he had gone so far as to send the team a retirement letter that offseason. Before Donald’s 2022 contract came to pass, Rams brass had discussed how they would celebrate the unrivaled DT if he did step away. Those conversations will need to be revisited, as few players will have ever required a shorter Hall of Fame argument when that time comes. Donald will join Jason Kelce as Canton-bound players to retire this year. Donald made $171MM over his career.
Coming back from the ankle malady, Donald played in 17 games and notched eight sacks and 23 QB hits. Illustrating what the Rams are losing, ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric slotted Donald first among D-tackles; Pro Football Focus graded him as the second-best interior D-lineman. While Chris Jones has produced better pass-rushing numbers over the past two years, the Chiefs standout — who used Donald’s framework to craft a contract bringing a staggering $95.3MM in practical guarantees — his two first-team All-Pros are six off Donald’s pace. Donald ripped off seven straight such honors from 2015-21, peaking with a 20.5-sack season in 2018. The Rams booked a Super Bowl LIII berth that year.
In 2022, the Rams also rewarded Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp with extensions. Their 2023 offseason brought skepticism about playoff chances, with the exits of several Super Bowl LVI starters — including Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd — leaving Donald to join a host of unproven defenders. Multiple rookies stepped up, but Donald’s presence has aided numerous players — including Floyd and Von Miller during their stopovers — over the course of his career. As DC Chris Shula takes over, Los Angeles will have a tall order filling its defensive centerpiece’s shoes.
Awesome career!
Wow. Sad to see him go. One of the best to ever do it. Glad he got a ring.
I think you mean a “ring*****”
What?
“I don’t like the Rams so their title has an asterisk”
Bitter fans will find a way to discredit teams that won legitimate championships.
The Rams not only won a Super Bowl, they won it in the Rams’ House.
(Much to the chagrin of Fox who think NFC East rools.)
Whoooooos housssseeee???!!!!
@C-Daddy
Aren’t all championships legitimate? Oh wait…this is a can of worms to be opened at a later when I’m feeling a bit more bitter…lol.
Going out in his own terms, I love it. One of the best ever. And representing my hometown so well.
Best at DT ever. Without question.
I don’t know, there are plenty of other candidates. A few are listed above-Alan Page, Merlin Olsen (also Rams legend). There are several more: Mean Joe Greene, John Randle, Randy White, and definitely Bob Lilly.
Donald is certainly up there, but I think that it’s far from being unchallenged that he is the greatest. I’m not here to argue which was best, but it’s certainly not “without question” (Randle, for example, has 26.5 more sacks than Donald, and he isn’t even my personal pick). And this isn’t even considering players who played on both the outside and inside.
Randle also played like almost 70 more games.
Just my opinion honestly. I can see some other guys maybe but 8 first team all pros by 32 he probably could easily get another 2 or 3 if he kept playing.
In this day of crazy money, one has to truly respect Mr Donald. Walking away healthy, on top of his game. Next stop, Canton. Congratulations.
Goated
Undersized DL out of Pitt. I had the pleasure of watching him during his time in college. His speed and play recognition was off the charts. Congrats to him and will be another western PA guy in the HOF
And from Penn Hills High, home of guys like Fralic and Flynn. Great player. Always had hopes he’d somehow join the hometown team
You get something for hitting 10 years right?
He wanted to retire after the SB, but it made sense for him to hit the 10 year mark if he gets a continued benefit like health or something.
Great career.
He basically held the team hostage for a big pay bump. He got what he wanted and now leaves the team with 2 years worth of cap hits while he sits at home. Good for him, dumb on the Rams part. They should have told him to play out his contract or retire.
Oh no, one of the greatest football players ever successfully bargained for more money.
Oh come on. He said that it was good for Donald. It’s obviously bad for the Rams, and Snead was silly for doing it. It’s pretty obvious that that is true.
Wow 10 years really goes by just like that. First ballot all the way.
Congrat to outstanding career. How does this impact the cap for this year?
Yeah, and how is it allowed to restructure a guys contract who then retires minutes later?
It’s not a new thing is it? I don’t recall the outcome of it, but I believe TB attempted to rework the contract of TB before he retired. Pretty sure also GB tried to do something with Rodgers before eating the huge cap hit by trading him. Or teams that acquire a player after getting the franchise tag from their previous team..maybe that shouldn’t be allowed either?
Or is it just this 1 instance because you don’t like the player or the team he played for?
As a Hawks fan…happy to see him retire! As a football fan congrats on a great career!
Won a super bowl
HOF career
Did everything one could dream of.
Good luck in retirement. Go into coaching.
Really smart move. Maximized his career while hopefully minimizing the physical impacts down the road. HOF, 9 digits at the age of 32 is not too shabby at all.
Don’t know the full backstory but wouldn’t it have been better (for the Rams) if he announced this last week? His money would have been available for free agents.
He would forfeit money by doing so. Good luck getting a guy to give up money fir a team he will no longer be playing for
He restructured his deal before doing so. Good luck finding a team that would honor the term of a contract whereas players are negotiating for guaranteed money rather than years.
Works both ways.
Between Donald, Larry Fitzgerald, LeSean McCoy and Darrell Revis, it always amazed me how Pitt could be the most pedestrian of college teams, but put out Hall of Fame caliber talent on a regular basis.
Don’t forget Dan Marino.
But Marino’s teams did quite well, generally. Majors and Sherrill were pretty good coaches. It’s been a difficult road to try to get back to that era or Dorsett or Marino
Pitt was not irrelevant then.
Niners fans everywhere are rejoicing. Scariest dude we’ve faced the last decade
big shoes to fill, but niners beat on them anyway.
NFC West fans*
wow. bad day to be a rams fan
All time great. Class act. Broadcasting booth next? May be a bidding war!
Dang… didn’t see that coming
Two years ago he talked about retiring. Not shocking at all.
He was always a thorn in Seattle’s side since he was drafted. He was easy to respect and like though. It’s definitely an end of an era. Enjoy retirement Sir. Donald deserves the Legion of Boom treatment. Forever remembered as a great, but he was a 1 man wrecking crew. He was a nightmare for Russell Wilson! Enjoy retirement!
Thank God! Go Hawks!
They say he has 111 career sacks. That doesn’t seem right because it feels like I remember him sacking our QBs in Seattle 450 times!! A true game wrecker. Can’t say that I will miss him wrecking our game plans!!
One of the best. Enjoy your retirement, sir.
Good4 him. When Rams needed 2stop Cincy to win SB late in gm, Donald put it on his own shoulders n made it happen. Was fierce stud. Go Rams !