The Los Angeles Rams were the surprise team of the 2023 season as they qualified for the 2024 NBA Playoffs despite overhauling their roster.
To comply with the salary cap, the Rams had to part ways with several of their high-priced veterans which left an odd mix of their aging stars and a young incoming draft class.
However, head coach Sean McVay and his staff were able to make the pieces work and make a postseason run. It was a bittersweet moment, though, as it wound up being the last game Aaron Donald played as he retired earlier this offseason.
Donald made the best of his final year in the NFL though he admitted that he though it was going to be rough without more established help, via The Pivot Podcast:
“I ain’t going to lie,” Donald began. “Going into it, getting ready for camp, I was a little disappointed because I knew it was going to be my last year, Year 10. I already knew this was going to be my last year, and I came back trying to win another Super Bowl,” Donald said. “I’m like, ‘Ain’t bring in no veteran help?’ I’m like, got a bunch of young guys. So you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know how these young guys are going to come in or how they’re going to play.
“But I’m like, as long as they bring in guys that have the mindset to work. So I don’t want no guys that’s like half-assing. Just follow my lead, follow the lead of the veterans – because we had Cooper Kupp. You know he’s working. Matthew Stafford, he’s working. I know I’m working. So as long as you follow the key guys and see how they work, everything’s going to play out how it’s supposed to play out. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little like, I don’t know if I can do this. This is going to be a long season because I already know it’s going to be triple-teams and I ain’t going to get no help.”
However, Donald ended up having a blast and was happy to have played a part in the young core’s development:
“Honestly, it ended up being a super fun year for me,” he said. “I enjoyed every moment of it. I just took it all in because going into my Year 10, I knew it was going to be my last year so my mindset that year was just take it all in, like I’m just a kid playing little league football again. Every experience, enjoy it. Enjoy the young guys.
“I had so much fun with those guys, and to see them grow from camp to being a team that made it to the playoffs, having a cold start and then getting back hot. It was so fun to watch those guys grow and have success and be part of the team. I had more fun than I thought I was going to have and I felt like they sent me out the right way, so I appreciate that. It was frustrating at first but it ended up turning into one of those fun years and exciting years.”
While not quite the ending Donald hoped for, it’s good to hear he enjoyed his final season and the franchise will always be grateful for what he did on and off the field.
Torry Holt says expectations are the same for Rams even after Aaron Donald’s retirement
While not having Aaron Donald will hurt their defense, Rams legend Torry Holt said the expectations for the team remain the same.
