Aaron Donald is calling it a career after 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Los Angeles Rams.
Donald announced his retirement from football on Friday morning with a message on social media, thanking everyone from Rams owner Stan Kroenke to fans in St. Louis.
Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion, will go down as one of the best players in NFL history. He was named a first-team All-Pro eight times and selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his seasons, leading the NFL in sacks once (2018).
Donald, 32, retires as the Rams’ official leader in career sacks with 111 in only 147 games. He also had 543 total tackles, 260 quarterback hits and 176 tackles for a loss. He forced 24 fumbles in his career, as well.
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 signed a three-year extension with the Rams before the 2022 season, so he leaves with one year left on his contract.
The Rams selected Donald with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft and he became an immediate star in the NFL. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and had nine sacks, setting the Rams’ rookie record for the most sacks in a season. By 2017, he was the Defensive Player of the Year and unanimously viewed as one of the top players in football regardless of position.
