By now, almost everyone knows the name Aaron Donald he is the Rams’ star defensive tackle and has become one the biggest names in the NFL. The 31-year-old defensive stud has been the most dominant defensive player since entering the league in 2014.

Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals
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During his time, Donald has racked up 286 tackles, 6 fumbles, and 98 sacks. He has been selected to 5 pro bowls, 3 defensive players of year titles, and defensive rookie of the year. He recently added a Super Bowl championship to his accolades where he gets the game-winning sack.

Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals
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The Rams are favored to repeat as champions by many experts with Donald on their roster, but what if he retired? Why would he do that? Well, believe it or not, Donald had his mind set on retirement in May of this year. He even sat down with his agent and sent out a retirement letter to the team. The letter was supposed to be sent out to Roger Goodell to make the deal official, but it was never sent out. The Rams were respectful of his decision and were even in talks about how to honor him.

As the date of June 1 approached, the Rams were gearing up to take a $21.5 million cap for Donald’s retirement. The team reached with Donal’s agent and began productive contract reconstruction talks. One good talk would lead to another until Donald was eventually given a new contract that would give him a $9 million raise that would extend him for two more years.

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No one knows for sure if the superstar planned on retiring or if it was just a move to get the Rams to offer more money. It does seem realistic considering he is 31 with a Hall of Fame resume and a Super Bowl title. Regardless, this is a pretty interesting story that was kept under wrap until now.

Do you think the Rams are favorites to repeat without Aaron Donald?

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