The Los Angeles Rams have had a productive free agency, but their entire defense and the trajectory of their 2024 season has suddenly veered in a totally different direction with Aaron Donald deciding to retire.
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
Quite inarguably the greatest defensive player of his generation, Donald is right up there with the best interior pass-rushers in NFL history, if he’s not the best. He’ll turn 33 in May, and he kicked around retirement as early as the 2022 offseason after the Rams had won the Super Bowl. After missing six games in 2022 and putting together another solid season this past year, Donald has called it a career.
Aaron Donald's Hall-of-Fame resume:
2014: DROY, Pro Bowl
2015: 1st team All Pro, Pro Bowl
2016: 1st team All Pro, Pro Bowl
2017: Defensive Player of the Year, 1st team All Pro, Pro Bowl
2018: Defensive Player of the Year, 1st team All Pro, Pro Bowl
2019: 1st team All Pro, Pro… https://t.co/8kPiJFm8iw— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2024
What a stunner this is. Even a version of Aaron Donald who’s lost a step or two is better than 95% of interior defensive linemen across the NFL. Other than Chiefs star Chris Jones, I don’t think there’s anyone better still playing right now at that general position. This comes, too, on the heels of the Rams surprising everyone last season by making the playoffs and giving the Lions a real run for their money on Wild Card Weekend.
Before diving into some of the bigger-picture takeaways about Donald’s sudden end to his career, here are some of the top reactions hitting social media.
Rams fans seeing this pic.twitter.com/utP9eNpJWy
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) March 15, 2024
WHATTTTTTTT pic.twitter.com/r8gRhWIH2h
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 15, 2024
Aaron Donald, a retrospective: pic.twitter.com/3JGmrUnXiK
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 15, 2024
Aaron Donald is the best football player whose entire career I can remember. For the rest of my life, when I think of my childhood GOATs, the first player I think of will always been Aaron Donald. What an absolute star.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 15, 2024
Minutes after announcing his retirement from the NFL, Aaron Donald has now been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 15, 2024
It took three people to block Aaron Donald 💀 pic.twitter.com/0Jg4O96IrI
— PFF (@PFF) March 15, 2024
Aaron Donald, the most rare defensive player of the generation, and that can’t be debated.
Congrats on one of the mort impressive careers in the history of the sport! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/i0JrrqwfqK
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) March 15, 2024
“Aaron Donald’s gonna make a play.”
Career defining. pic.twitter.com/ohUtlpQrCN
— Pranav Sriraman (@PranavSriraman) March 15, 2024
Aaron Donald vs Jason Kelce hell in a cell match at the Hall of Fame inductions 5 years from now
— Dave Rappoccio (@DrawPlayDave) March 15, 2024
Can't believe the game is losing Aaron Donald 😭 pic.twitter.com/KYItTyckrp
— #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) March 15, 2024
QBs around the NFL seeing Aaron Donald’s retirement announcement pic.twitter.com/7ET8CKggUD
— Playmaker Betting (@playmakerbet) March 15, 2024
I have a feeling LA’s brass wasn’t totally blindsided by this. Softening the blow somewhat was the excellent rookie season Kobie Turner put together. He’ll be leaned on to help the massive void filled by Donald, and you also have to wonder if the Rams will target somebody like Texas’ Byron Murphy II or Illinois standout Johnny Newton in the first round of the draft. One of them should be there when LA goes on the clock with the 19th pick.
GM Les Snead’s strategy in free agency makes even more sense in retrospect now that we know Donald is walking away. Snead just paid big money to keep guard Kevin Dotson in place, and shelled out for ex-Lions guard Jonah Jackson to create a triumvirate of beef along with Steve Avila in the offensive trenches.
We could see the Rams take some of the burden off veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and play a more run-centric, ball-control style of offense by leaning on tailback Kyren Williams and those big dudes up front. That should help take some of the load off a defense who has to carry on sans Donald. I just doubt that without him, the Rams can truly challenge in the NFC West, never mind contend for a Super Bowl.
Nevertheless, congrats to Aaron Donald on a spectacular career. Never been more certain of a first-ballot Hall of Famer in my life who didn’t play quarterback.
