Aaron Donald has been one of the best players in the NFL for years, and the Los Angeles Rams star is still very much in his prime. Apparently that does not mean he has much football left in him.
During NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday, Rodney Harrison shared a surprising conversation he had with Donald. Harrison says the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year spoke with him about the importance of having a championship legacy and said there is a “strong possibility” he could retire if the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He’s big on legacy. He doesn’t want to be known as a defender who accomplished so many individual things but never won a Super Bowl,” Harrison said. “He also told me this — if he wins a Super Bowl, there’s a strong possibility he could walk away from the game and retire.”
Donald, who is 30, is in his eighth NFL season. He has missed just two games in his entire career, so he has been healthy overall. He already has 98 career sacks and is quickly moving up the all-time sacks leader list, but Harrison says Donald is not fixated on individual statistics.
The Rams got to the Super Bowl two years ago but fell to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. If Donald truly is contemplating retirement, that should give him even more motivation in his second trip to the big game.
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