How long did Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald know that he had played the final game of his career?
According to a recent article from Sports Illustrated, the 32-year-old knew the day after the clock inside Ford Field struck triple zeros in the Rams playoff loss to the Detroit Lions.
“I’m full,” Donald said to coach Sean McVay in a meeting following the loss.
Like Michael Jordan's famous "I'm back" media release, the two words "I'm full" from Donald was everything McVay needed to know about where his star player's mind was.
“I’m just like, And you should be. You have every right to feel that way,” McVay said about his conversation with Donald. “What an amazing thing. The words won’t do justice to the way that he so eloquently articulated it to me and just put it in a way that, as a human being, all you’re really looking for is to be at peace and to be happy. He was full. And, man, did you feel that. You’re just so happy because he earned it too.”
Despite still being 32, Donald's retirement on Friday wasn't exactly out of the blue. Rumors of retirement had been swirling about the former Pittsburgh Panther since after the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Yet Donald kept coming back—that was until now.
In his 10-year career, albeit shorter than many had hoped, Donald still managed to rack up the accolades. He tied J.J. Watt and Lawrence Taylor as the only players in league history to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Meanwhile, he was a constant member of the Pro Bowl, being selected in each of his 10 seasons, once again joining Taylor in the record books as the only player to accomplish that feat. He was also an eight-time First-Team All-Pro.
Statistically, Donald finished with 111 career sacks - which is 11th all-time among all players and first for defensive tackles - 543 tackles, 176 for a loss, and 260 quarterback hits.
It is sufficient to say two things when summarizing Donald's career:
1) Quarterbacks will not miss having to worry about facing him.
2) A place for his bust is already reserved in Canton, Ohio, as he is, without a doubt, a future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
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