Aaron

Donald

Donald has flirted with the possibility of retiring before, but the 32-year-old, future hall of famer, has officially called it quits. You won’t find many players with a resumé as decorated as Donald’s. The former No. 13 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has been named eight times as a First-team All-Pro, and was voted as a Pro Bowler in each of the 10 seasons he played. Donald steps away from the game tied for 40th in career sacks (111.0), and never totaled fewer than five sacks in a season. Blessed with a clean bill of health for the majority of his career, Donald played in all but nine regular season games during his tenure, and was an integral part of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl run. Truly one of the best to ever do it, Donald’s retirement creates a massive void along the Rams’ defensive line. He restructured his contract shortly before retiring, helping to free up $9.2 million in cap space for the 2024 season.

Aaron Donald is also getting the week off. The Rams are locked into either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed for the playoffs, so there is almost nothing for them to play for this week. Ronnie Rivers, Royce Freeman, and Zach Evans will all have a shot at seeing more work in Week 18. Rivers was the only backup to see snaps last week, making him the next man up.

Donald was added to the injury report on Saturday because of tightness in his groin but appears to be good to go. The future Hall of Famer is having a down year for his lofty standards. Through 13 weeks, Donald has just six sacks. He should be able to up that number by one or two versus Washington this week. Sam Howell leads the NFL in sacks taken, averaging 4.5 sacks per game.

Donald missed the last six games of the season with an ankle injury. Getting cleared for workouts in February gives him a chance to be ready for the start of OTAs. Donald was linked to retirement after winning a Super Bowl last offseason but confirmed he intends to play in 2023.

31-year-old Donald heads into the offseason having missed the final six games of the season with his ankle injury. Donald pondered retirement last offseason while coach Sean McVay seems to be preparing to jump ship. Due nearly $30 million between salary and roster bonuses, we find it difficult to believe Donald will seriously consider hanging it up.

No surprises here as the Rams are just looking to finish strong. Baker Mayfield has helped infinite the Rams’ offense in his quest to prove he’s still starting material.

No surprises here as the Rams ruled most of these players earlier in the week. Donald is likely done for the year because of an ankle issue. He should land on injured reserve once the team finally gives up hope on him returning for a few meaningless games.

This feels like a bombshell, but there is really no reason for Donald to return. The Rams are out of playoff contention, so pushing Donald to return quickly only increased the risk of worsening his ankle issue. Assuming he is done for the year, Donald’s 2022 campaign ends with 10 TFLs, five sacks, and one forced fumble. Even when adjusting for the time missed, it goes down as the worst statistical season of his nine-year career. Heading into the offseason, there is bound to be plenty of speculation on whether Donald will run it back in 2023 or retire.

Donald was ruled out earlier in the week after failing to practice once. With LA eliminated from the playoffs, it’s hard to see Donald taking the field again this year, even though he should be back to full strength before the playoffs end. We will likely hear rumors of his retirement fire up again once the season ends.

The Rams left the door open for a possible return for Donald in Week 15, but he will now miss his third consecutive contest. Donald’s continued absence is a microcosm of the Rams’ season.