Los Angeles Rams

Aaron Donald Sidesteps Retirement Question After Super Bowl Win

Rodney Harrison said Donald would "strongly consider" retiring if the Rams won the Super Bowl

Aaron Donald after the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Getty Images

Star defensive tackle Aaron Donald helped seal the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

On a fourth-and-1 inside the game's final 45 seconds, Donald got to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and forced an incomplete pass for a turnover on downs.

Could that have been the final play of Donald's career?

During NBC's Super Bowl pregame show, Rodney Harrison said Donald told him there was a "strong possibility" he would retire if the Rams went on to defeat the Bengals.

Donald, who had two sacks and two tackles for loss against Cincinnati, was asked about Harrison's comments after the game, and he didn't confirm or deny them.

“I’m just in the moment right now,” Donald told reporters (H/T ProFootballTalk). “I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates, my family. I’m just going to be in the moment and enjoy this today, or for a couple of days. This is a blessing.”

Sports

Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.

Joel Embiid confronts, pushes columnist in Sixers locker room 

Washington stops USC twice in 4th quarter to preserve 26-21 victory

While Donald didn't address the question, fellow Rams defensive lineman Von Miller did. Miller, who also won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, said he can't see Donald calling it a career at this stage because winning a championship is an "addictive feeling."

“He’s done so much. But I’ll tell you, this feeling is great. It just makes you want it more and more and more," Miller said. "But he’s definitely capped off a great career, if he chooses to do that. But this is an addictive feeling and I can’t see him walking away from this.”

Donald, 30, has been one of the NFL's most dominant players since he entered the league. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and has finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his seven seasons since, winning the award three times.

Donald is also a seven-time First Team All-Pro selection, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a member of the All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

Other than an MVP award, which hasn't been won by a defensive player since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, the only thing missing from Donald's resume was a Super Bowl championship. He took care of that on Sunday.

Contact Us