Prior to Super Bowl LVI there was a lot of speculation that Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald might hang up the cleats for good.
The Rams won it all and that speculation still remains.
If Aaron Donald can’t agree to terms on a contract with a team he believes can contend for a Super Bowl title in 2022, the veteran defensive tackle told the I Am Athlete podcast on Monday that he will be “at peace” retiring this summer:
“For me, it’s about winning. I don’t want to play football if I can’t win anyway, so I feel like if I got a real opportunity to win another Super Bowl, then it makes sense to play. But again, it’s still a business, and we got to handle the business side of things, and if that wasn’t to get handled then, you know, it is what it is type of situation.
“I’ll be fine regardless, but me talking about retirement, that was happening way before we won a Super Bowl. I’ve been saying that since I got into the league I was going to play eight years and be done. That’s just what I’ve been saying. … If I was to play, it’s just to win another Super Bowl, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it got to make sense to me and my family.
“… I don’t need to play football to be fine. … I was blessed to play this game, to make the money I made, the accomplishments I made in eight years is, like, I’m complete. If I can win another one, that’s great. But if not, I’m at peace.”
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Donald’s comments come after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the eight-time Pro Bowler was working with the Rams on a “new deal that promises to be record-breaking.”
“This is expected to be an extension, repackaging the remaining three years on his deal with a big raise,” Fowler wrote. “Top-of-the-market for defensive players is $28 million annually, and Donald will be well above that when this is all said and done. He has been arguably the game’s best player for at least a half-decade.”
Donald is under contract with the Rams for three more seasons and is set to earn $26.8 million in 2022.
