After ten years of competing at the highest level of football, Aaron Donald decided to hang his cleats last week. And now Donald has finally opened up regarding his retirement. Throughout his career, he played for only one team and that is the Los Angeles Rams.

In an Instagram video shared through his account, the now-former DL spoke about his exhaustion with the daily grind. Donald said he had lost all the motivation to play at the competitive stage. It is to be noted that multiple players have pointed out exhaustion as the main cause for them to move away from football. Now, something similar has been echoed by Donald.

I'm complete, I'm full. I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me.

Donald claimed

Donald seemed assured in his recent decision to quit the sport. He further expanded on the reasons which finally sealed the deal for him.

I will always love football, but to think about going through another camp and another 17 [game] season, I just don’t got the urge to want to push myself to do that no more. I’m just, I’m burnt out, if anything, the best way to say it is that I’m full, I’m complete. I’m satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years, and I think it’s time for me to, at 32 years old, retire from football and jump into the next step in my career, my life, and now it’s time to move on. 

Aaron Donald had a glorious career filled with numerous accomplishments and accolades. In ten years, he had Pro Bowl nods in all the seasons he played, eight All-Pros, three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Rookie of the Year, two NFC Championships, and three NFC West championships. In addition, the DL played two Super Bowls, won one, and lost another.

The Rams have to look for an alternative for Aaron Donald now

Over the years, the name of Donald with the Los Angeles Rams became synonymous. Unlike their city counterpart, the Rams team had some good time on the gridiron even in the last season. They managed to make it to the playoffs, where they had a very close encounter with the Detroit Lions. While their former QB, Jared Goff, emerged as the winner, just one point separated them. ‘
Sean McVay and Aaron Donald (Image via IMAGO)
Throughout the campaign, Donald played a major role in sealing the defense. Now, after his departure, the team is looking for an alternative. It will be difficult to step into the shoes of the legendary DL.

There are multiple candidates who may fill the void created by Aaron Donald’s departure. Sean McVay and co. might already be looking at the likes of Illinois’ Johnny Newton, Missouri’s Darius Robinson, Texas’ Byron Murphy II, and many others.