SUMMARY
- Aaron Donald has recently announced his retirement.
- Aaron Donald has played for 10 seasons in the NFL.
Aaron Donald, the heart of the Los Angeles Rams defense, decided to retire from football after a decade in the NFL. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Donald’s football journey began at Penn Hills High School, where he played high school football. As a senior in high school, the Rams’ former number 99 registered an impressive 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks.
Donald played college football for the University of Pittsburgh from 2010 to 2013. During his four seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers, the defensive tackle made 52 appearances, 179 combined tackles, 29.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Donald signed his first official NFL contract with the Rams in 2014 and retired as the franchise’s most loyal troop.
Cheers to what’s next. Extending a big thank you to the Rams and all of the fans for your support over these last 10 years. Much love. 🍾🙏🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/edGxkUYdLz
— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) March 15, 2024
The 32-year-old took to social media to announce his retirement from the sport, leaving a lasting impact on the Rams and the NFL. Donald shared a post on X to announce his retirement by stating, “Cheers to what’s next. Extending a big thank you tp the Rams and all of the fans for your support over these last 10 years. Much love.” His contributions to the team and the NFL will always be remembered as one of the biggest earnings for the sport.
Aaron Donald’s NFL stats and achievements
Aaron Donald, in his 10 years of NFL career, made 154 appearances for the Rams and started 150 games. The defensive tackle performed a total of 543 tackles, of which 340 were combined and 203 were assisted tackles. Despite that, the defensive tackle also registered 111.0 sacks, 24 force fumbles, and 40 fumble yards in the regular season.
Regarding postseason stats, Donald participated in 11 games and secured 34 tackles, including 19 solo tackles, 15 tackles assisted, and six sacks. A glimpse at the defensive tackles’ achievements cabinet reflects one Super Bowl, three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a PFWA All-Rookie Team appearance, and eight Pro Bowl appearances.
How much did Aaron Donald earn in NFL career?
The 32-year-old former defensive tackle of the Los Angeles Rams signed his rookie contract in 2014 worth $10,136,500. Donald’s rookie deal included a signing bonus and guaranteed sums of $5,692,000 and $10,136,500. Former number 99 extended his stay with the franchise for six years in 2018 by agreeing on a deal worth $135,000,000.
That contract also included a signing bonus of $40,000,000 and a guaranteed sum of $86,892,000. For the final time, Donald signed an agreement with the Rams back in 2022. The deal tied the defensive tackle with the franchise for three years and was worth $95,000,000, including a signing bonus and guaranteed sums of $25,000,000 and $95,000,000.
However, before his contract expires, the former Super Bowl champion hung up his helmet on March 15, 2024. At the time of his retirement, reports claim that Donald’s NFL career earnings had reached an impressive $157,114,238, a testament to his success on the field.