According to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports on Friday, Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is retiring at the age of 32. Donald played a decade with the Rams organization (2014 and 2015 with St. Louis and 2016 to 2023 with Los Angeles), was selected to the Pro Bowl in every NFL season he played, was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2020, and Super Bowl champion in 2022.
Donald is one of only three players in NFL history to have won the Defensive Player of the Year three times. The other two players are New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor of Williamsburg, Virginia (1981, 1982 and 1986), and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt of Pewaukee, Wisconsin (2012, 2014 and 2015).
In 154 games, Donald had 543 combined tackles (340 solo tackles and 203 assisted tackles), 176 tackles for a loss. 260 quarterback hits, one safety, 21 pass deflections, 24 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries for 40 yards, and 111 sacks. Donald’s 111 sacks are 28th all-time.
Donald led the NFL in sacks (20.5) and tackles for a loss (25) in 2018. Then in 2019, Donald led the NFL with 20 tackles for a loss, and had the only safety in his NFL career. The safety came in a 17-12 Rams loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 10, 2019.
In the Super Bowl title the Rams won, Los Angeles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Los Angeles. Donald had two sacks, four combined tackles (three solo tackles and one assisted tackle), three quarterback hits and two tackles for a loss.
Donald played his college football at University of Pittsburgh. He was then the 13th overall pick by the Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft.
