The Los Angeles Rams are projected to be a playoff team again after revamping their roster this offseason, but the heart of their defense won’t be on the field for the first time in a decade.
Unfortunately for the Rams, Aaron Donald decided to call it a career following the team’s playoff exit though the organization seemed to expect it after they were publicly non-committal about him playing in the 2024 season. Donald had been mulling retirement since Los Angeles came away victorious in Super Bowl LVI, and the legendary defensive tackle made it official a couple of months after the postseason was over.
When talking about Donald and his career, it’s hard not to describe it as anything more than dominate because of how much he affected the game on the field. A true one-of-one, Donald was one of the few players in the league that teams had hone their gameplans on because he could single-handedly flip a matchup with how relentless he was along the defensive line.
Donald got the opportunity to play alongside and meet numerous people while in Los Angeles and several of them wished him well in retirement in a video:
The video starts off with former and current players congratulating Donald and then flows into individual messages. Tyler Higbee starts it off by expressing how honored he was to play alongside him, while Andrew Whitworth follows it up by saying the two are world champions for life. Matthew Stafford joins in next and jokes that he was happier playing alongside Donald rather than against him.
Raheem Morris, Steven Jackson, Cooper Kupp, Rob Havenstein, Andrew Whitworth, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and others join the chorus expressing their appreciation and gratefulness for what Donald did for them and the game of football. The video ends with former Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson telling Donald how proud he is of him and referencing their mantra of “Dawg Work.”
It’s a touching video from members of the organization and it goes to show much Donald meant to the franchise during his playing career. He set an example each and every day, so it’s no surprise to see him receive this much love and respect from his peers.
Former Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers announces retirement
Aaron Donald wasn’t the only former Rams defensive lineman to retire from the NFL as Michael Brockers also announced his retirement. Brockers played nine years for Los Angeles, including seven years alongside Donald in the trenches.
