Aaron Donald admits he almost left Rams and other takeaways from retirement interview

Aaron Donald discussed his career in released retirement interview video

The highly anticipated Aaron Donald retirement interview was released on Friday Night on the Los Angeles Rams’ YouTube channel. Interviewed by his wife, Erica, Donald spent over an hour talking about his career and his decision to retire. Here are our takeaways from the interview.

1. Aaron Donald felt like he was special after tackling Adrian Peterson

It didn’t take long for Aaron Donald to feel like he could play in the NFL. After years of people doubting him because of his size, he got immediate gratification that he could play at the highest level and be successful.

The Rams started the 2014 season with a 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. However, in the four quarter with nine-minutes left to play, Donald shot into the backfield as he would many more times in his career, and met Peterson in the backfield for tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Donald’s quickness off the snap was evident right away. Throughout his career, he met several running backs at the handoff point and the first to experience that was Peterson.

2. Donald almost left Rams after 2016 season

In Donald’s first three seasons, the Rams went 6-10, 7-9, and 4-12. At that point, Donald just wanted to win and was tired of losing. That 4-12 season in 2016 was especially tough. Add in the hold out heading into the 2017 season and things were looking rocky for the Rams and Donald. Said Donald,

“That was my first holdout year. I was kind of mad at the organization. If you guys don’t want me, just get rid of me. Send me somewhere that wants me…Experiencing a playoff game, that’s what changed my football mindset.”

Donald talked about meeting Sean McVay and how he was a big reason that he stayed with the Rams. The Rams defensive lineman wanted a coach that would hold players accountable. Had McVay not been hired, there’s a chance Donald would have left the Rams and played his career elsewhere.

3. Sole focus after Super Bowl loss was to get back and win

The 2018 season was arguably Donald’s best year and be won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. Donald actually admitted that he played that season between 255 and 265-pounds and that’s where he stayed from a weight standpoint the rest of his career. That fact makes what Donald did even more impressive.

Following the loss to the Patriots, Donald went through a bit of a depression stage in his life with personal stuff going on behind the scenes. From that point on after losing the Super Bowl, Donald made it his sole focus to get back and win. The Rams did that and Donald made the winning play as they beat the Bengals 23-20.

4. Donald felt like he accomplished everything there was to accomplish

Several times Donald has used the expression “I’m full” when describing why he decided to retire. While 10 years is a short career in today’s game, Donald really did accomplish everything there was to accomplish. He went out on his terms and after a season that he could feel good about when he left. As Donald said,

“I had a fun year. Got to enjoy every moment and watch the young guys grow. My goal this year was just to go back to how it was as a kid. Just enjoy playing football again…I knew I was going to retire, but after that Detroit game, I walked off the field with a smile on my face. I remember giving Sean a big hug and said “that’s it” and I was at peace with it.”

Donald did mention that he did in fact almost retire after 2021. His wife, Erica, brought up a letter that he had written in May ready to be sent to the Rams, letting them know of his retirement. However, Sean McVay talked him into coming back and they got things figured out from a business standpoint. The plan was always to play two more years after that.

5. Excited for the young guys

One thing that Donald mentioned is that he was proud of where he led the franchise. Before arriving with the Rams, they were a team that had experienced a lot of losing. They went from four wins in 2016 to winning a Super Bowl and becoming a respected team around the league. A lot of that was because of Donald and what he gave to the franchise. He also mentioned how he felt the team was in a good place with the young guys on the roster. Said Donald,

“I told them it’s your time now. It’s time for Kobie to step up and be the leader now, to Puka to build off what he did. To Ernest, it’s your defense now. I’m leaving a team in good hands with great young guys.”

The Rams may no longer have Donald, but they have some good, young leaders on the team. Kobie Turner got to learn from Donald for a season and heading into year four, Ernest Jones is ready to take over as the leader of the group. Last year ended up being a “pass the torch” moment as Donald got the young guys ready to take over for him.

6. Ready to start life and be a dad

Earlier this week, Marshall Faulk talked about concerns that he was with Donald retiring. One of those concerns was that some players struggled to find things to do once training camp and offseason activities start. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for Donald. Donald said in his interview,

“My main focus this year is just to be a family man, continue to work on the Ready brand, building up development company, and AD99 solutions. That’s my main focus for this year. I’m just excited about being a dad…I’m going to miss the locker room presence of just being with the guys. In the meeting room cracking jokes. As far as when the first game happens, I don’t know. I won’t know until it happens”

By the sound of it, Donald will have plenty to keep him busy off of the field. He’s ready to spend time with his kids and focus more on his businesses such as AD99 Solutions and Ready. He also talked about his development company and spending more time on that. One thing that Donald wants to do and something that’s important to him is his legacy and setting his kids up well for their futures. He’ll certainly miss some aspects of the game, but nobody can play forever. Donald seems to have a lot of future endeavors that he’s excited to explore.

7. Donald only wanted to be a Ram

Despite a rocky relationship in early 2017 with the holdout, Donald said that he only ever wanted to be a Ram. It’s no secret that Donald has deep ties to Pittsburgh and him playing for the Steelers would have made a lot of people happy. However, even when talking about being drafted by the Rams Donald said, “I felt like I went to a team that was the perfect fit.” After McVay arrived, things got better for the Rams and Donald and the rest is history. Said Donald,

“I’m so happy with how everything played out in my career. I’m happy that I chose to stay with the Rams and be with the Rams. The Rams wanted me. That made it that much more sweet. It’s a blessing”

It’s not very often in today’s game that a player is drafted by, wins a championship, and retires with the same team. Donald will go into the Hall of Fame remembered as a Ram. Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Peyton Manning had a good few years with the Denver Broncos. Both players had deep legacies elsewhere. Donald never left and never had to put on another team’s jersey.