Aaron Donald spent a decade with the Los Angeles Rams and established himself as one of the best defensive players of his generation before retiring at the end of the 2023 season.
Donald still follows the Rams closely, but has stated multiple times over the last year that he does not miss playing football. That’s despite efforts from head coach Sean McVay to convince the future Hall of Famer to return during the 2025 season.
During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan’s Panthers Inside Show, Donald reiterated that he enjoys being retired and does not seem himself making a comeback:
“I was ready for it. A lot of people always ask me, ‘Do you miss playing?’ I don’t miss playing. You miss things from the game, right? You miss being in the meeting room with the fellas, cracking jokes in the locker room, more the camaraderie with your teammates. As far as playing football and things like that, I don’t miss it. I don’t even have the passion or excitement to want to play football. I will always love football, but once you lose the passion to put the work in and play the game, that’s when it was time for me to walk away.”
Donald also hinted that he may pursue a career in acting, which he has been interested in for a while:
“Even me pursuing films and trying to get into the acting world, it’s a grind, it’s non-stop work. Long meetings but it’s going to pay off.”
Donald already has a bit of acting experience after making a cameo on an episode of “Magnum PI” in 2019.
Donald didn’t say if he was currently working on any projects, but he clearly has found a passion for acting and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return to television in the near future.
Rams GM Les Snead: ‘It took 5 top 100 picks’ to replace Aaron Donald
Earlier this year, Rams general manager Les Snead said that it essentially took five top 100 draft picks to even somewhat replace Aaron Donald.
The Rams selected Jared Verse and Braden Fiske in the first and second rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, respectively, which reunited the former Florida State teammates. L.A. traded three future picks, including two second-rounders, to move up to No. 39 to take Fiske.
The Rams’ rebuilding of their defensive line began the previous year when they took Kobie Turner and Byron Young in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
