Aaron Donald knows what it takes to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, taking home the award in his debut season in 2014. So when he saw that fellow Rams pass rusher Jared Verse won the coveted honor on Thursday night, he had to celebrate the standout rookie.
Donald congratulated Verse on his incredible season in a video message shared by the Rams on social media, while also reminding him that the work isn’t done yet. It was a classic motivational speech by the future Hall of Famer, telling Verse how proud he is of him for the season he just put together.
“Congrats, man. Well-deserved, bro. Well-deserved,” Donald said. “Let’s keep it up. We ain’t satisfied. We still hungry, though. We going to enjoy this one, but we got a lot more to go, a lot more to accomplish, man. From individual accolades to team success, just continue to lead, continue to play.”
From one DROY to another. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/xQzykdimDL
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 7, 2025
Despite still being one of the best defensive players in football, Donald retired after 10 seasons, so he knows how quickly a career can fly by.
“And continue to have fun doing it, man,” Donald continued. “It’s a short time you get to do this game and play this game, so take it all in and enjoy it. Much love. I’m proud of you, bro. Let’s go!”
Donald (unfortunately) doesn’t suit up on Sundays for the Rams anymore but he still remains close to the team and his excitement about Verse’s award-winning season is awesome to see.
