Aaron Donald Reveals The Surprise Reason Behind His Shocking NFL Retirement

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Rams legend and former All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald has given an in-depth explanation regarding his decision to walk away from the game of football at the age of 32.

Last week, Donald announced his retirement after a phenomenal 10-year career, spent entirely with the Rams organization. The Pittsburgh product retires with 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight First-team All-Po nods, three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Super Bowl 56 championship ring.

In a video posted on his X/Twitter account, Donald gave a clear explanation as to why he’s retiring in his prime. Donald explained that he’s “burnt out” from the game and that he accomplished everything he wanted on the gridiron.
“I’m complete, I’m full. I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me. I will always love football, but to think about going through another camp and another 17 (game) season, I just don’t got the urge to want to push myself to do that no more. I’m burned out. The best way to say…I’m full, I’m complete. I’m satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years.”

Aaron Donald is one of many NFL legends who retired while in the midst of his prime. That list also includes Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Patrick Willis, Luke Kuechly, Calvin Johnson and Rob Gronkowski. Even Tom Brady looked like he had some football left in him after his age-45 swan song season.

Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google!Follow Us

The soon-to-be 33-year-old Aaron Donald actually considered retiring after the Rams won Super Bowl 56, but he signed an extension and added two more Pro Bowl seasons to his Hall of Fame career.

Aaron Donald Has An Offer From Travis Kelce

For what it’s worth, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce wanted Donald to know that the opportunity to join his team for a late-season run is there.

On the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast that he co-hosts with older brother Jason, Travis said to Donald, “If you want to win one more Super Bowl, we’ll probably have some availability somewhere in December.”

Aaron Donald was loyal to the Rams his entire career, so there’s no guarantee he’d look to ring-chase elsewhere if he un-retired. But if Aaron Donald went to Kansas City, he’d be teaming up with the league’s best active defensive tackle in Chris Jones. That, of course, would be a nightmare scenario for the rest of the NFL.