Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald recently announced his retirement, and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, who announced his retirement this offseason as well, set the record straight regarding Donald never recording a sack against the Eagles. Kelce raved about Donald, detailing what the Eagles did in their game plans when facing him in comparison to everyone else.
“I got to set this record straight because I see a lot of people on social media as they list all of Aaron’s sacks against quarterbacks, people are like, he never had a sack against the Eagles, like the Eagles had your number,” Jason Kelce said on the New Heights Podcast. “We double-teamed him and triple-teamed him every single game all right. He is the only defensive tackle we have ever gone up against where the entire game plan is situated on not having him ruin the game, the only one. I don’t care if it was a five-down front, I don’t care if there’s a blitz happening over there, we are double-teaming Aaron Donald. That’s the way we played him. There was not another player that was treated in that light. Not a defensive end, not a defensive tackle, nobody. Not even Micah Parsons. We did try to help out Micah a lot too, Micah is very good, but I’m telling you right now this guy should have had better numbers.”
It is clear the level of respect that Kelce has for Donald. Kelce undoubtedly knows first-hand the ability of Donald. The Eagles likely are not the only team that had that type of game plan for Donald either, and the defensive tackle had a sack against every other team in the NFL. It is a feather in the cap for Eagles fans. Regardless, Donald will go down as one of the best defensive players of all time.
Will Jason Kelce and Aaron Donald be in the same Hall of Fame class?
With both Kelce and Donald retiring in the same offseason, they will both be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2029. It would be a shock if both do not end up in Canton, and they very well could end up going in together on the first ballot.
Kelce had an unbelievable career for a center, spending it all with the Eagles. He finishes his career with one Super Bowl win, six All-Pro team appearances and seven Pro Bowls. He is a virtual shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.
For Donald, he is as much of a lock for the first ballot as you can be. He made the Pro Bowl in all 10 years of his career, made All-Pro teams in eight seasons, won the defensive player of the year award three times and won a Super Bowl. That does not cover all of the accolades either.
It would be a great scene in 2029 if Donald and Kelce went into the Hall of Fame at the same time.
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