Like many players before him, Aaron Donald is leaving the NFL on his own terms. He’s chosen to retire after 10 seasons, exiting the game of football with three Defensive Player of the Year awards, a Super Bowl ring and, most importantly, his health.
Donald was remarkably productive during his decade in the league, setting the Rams record for the most sacks in a player’s career with 111. As a defensive tackle, it makes that accomplishment all the more impressive.
But where does Donald rank in NFL history for the most career sacks? Pretty high on the list, especially as an interior defensive lineman. According to Pro Football Reference, Donald’s 111 career sacks are the 28th-most all-time. Bruce Smith holds the NFL record with 200, but only five players in league history reached even 150 sacks: Smith, Reggie White, Kevin Greene, Julius Peppers and Chris Doleman.
Sacks didn’t become an official stat until 1982, so that excludes several legends of the past – including Deacon Jones and Jack Youngblood – but Donald finishing his career 28th all-time is outstanding.
The only other defensive tackle to reach 100 career sacks was John Randle, who had 137.5. Below are the top 30 players on the all-time sacks list.
| Rank | Player | Sk | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Smith+ | 200.0 | 1985-2003 |
| 2 | Reggie White+ | 198.0 | 1985-2000 |
| 3 | Kevin Greene+ | 160.0 | 1985-1999 |
| 4 | Julius Peppers+ | 159.5 | 2002-2018 |
| 5 | Chris Doleman+ | 150.5 | 1985-1999 |
| 6 | Michael Strahan+ | 141.5 | 1993-2007 |
| 7 | Jason Taylor+ | 139.5 | 1997-2011 |
| 8 | Terrell Suggs | 139.0 | 2003-2019 |
| 9 | DeMarcus Ware+ | 138.5 | 2005-2016 |
| 10 | Richard Dent+ | 137.5 | 1983-1997 |
| John Randle+ | 137.5 | 1990-2003 | |
| 12 | Jared Allen | 136.0 | 2004-2015 |
| 13 | John Abraham | 133.5 | 2000-2014 |
| 14 | Leslie O’Neal | 132.5 | 1986-1999 |
| Lawrence Taylor+ | 132.5 | 1981-1993 | |
| 16 | Rickey Jackson+ | 128.0 | 1981-1995 |
| 17 | Derrick Thomas+ | 126.5 | 1989-1999 |
| 18 | Dwight Freeney+ | 125.5 | 2002-2017 |
| 19 | Von Miller | 123.5 | 2011-2023 |
| 20 | Robert Mathis | 123.0 | 2003-2016 |
| 21 | Simeon Rice | 122.0 | 1996-2007 |
| 22 | Clyde Simmons | 121.5 | 1986-2000 |
| 23 | Cameron Jordan | 117.5 | 2011-2023 |
| 24 | J.J. Watt | 114.5 | 2011-2022 |
| 25 | Sean Jones | 113.0 | 1984-1996 |
| 26 | Justin Houston | 112.0 | 2011-2023 |
| Chandler Jones | 112.0 | 2012-2022 | |
| 28 | Aaron Donald | 111.0 | 2014-2023 |
| 29 | Greg Townsend | 109.5 | 1983-1997 |
| 30 | Pat Swilling | 107.5 | 1986-1998 |
Had Donald played another two or three years, which he certainly would’ve been capable of doing, he likely would have cracked the top 15 and potentially broken Randle’s record for the most sacks ever by a defensive tackle.
Instead of chasing records, Donald was comfortable with his career record and wanted to retire with a mostly clean bill of health at 32 years old.
