The NFL says farewell to another legend in retiring.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald announced his retirement today, ending a historic 10-year run of dominance on the Rams defensive line.
Aaron Donald, who has been flirting with retirement over the past few seasons, took to X today to break the news himself.
"For 10 years, I have been fortunate to play the game of football at the highest level," Donald said in the post.
"I'm thankful for the people I've met along the way, the friendships I've built and the things I've accomplished with my teammates and individually."
It's no doubt that Donald is a lock for the Hall of Fame. The Rams took Donald with the 14th pick in the 2014 draft. He has won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, has eight all-pro selections, and joins Barry Sanders as the only other player to make a Pro Bowl selection in each of his seasons (at least 10 seasons).
Cheers to what’s next. Extending a big thank you to the Rams and all of the fans for your support over these last 10 years. Much love. 🍾🙏🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/edGxkUYdLz
— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) March 15, 2024
Donald has registered 111 sacks in 10 seasons, recording at least eight sacks in 8 of them, and made the NFL All-Decade team.
He is a 10-time Pro Bowl selectee and a Defensive Rookie of the Year, to add to his impressive resume as well.
Donald has helped the team make two Super Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2019, winning Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 32-year-old is fresh off an All-Pro season in which he posted eight sacks and helped the Rams return to the Playoffs before falling to the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round.
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Aaron Donald Amongst the Greats
Now that it is all said and done, Aaron Donald could possibly rank within the top five list of greatest defensive lineman of all time.
His three defensive player of the year awards puts him in elite company with Lawerance Taylor and J.J. Watt.
Donald has a Super Bowl ring and his numbers back up his case as one of the greatest defensive players of at least this decade.
Los Angeles Rams Defense Going Forward
It would be interesting to see what the Los Angeles Rams do moving forward.
Losing a presence like Aaron Donald would take a lot of work to replace, as he has been a significant component of the team's defense for the past decade.
The Rams will likely draft the best available defensive lineman this year to fill the massive void, or shell out in Free Agency in an attempt to fill his shoes.
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