Aaron Donald might call it a career after Super Bowl LVI.
Ahead of Sunday’s game between the Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison reported that Donald could retire if Los Angeles wins the Lombardi Trophy. Donald, 30, largely is viewed as the best defensive player in the NFL and is the leader of the Rams’ excellent defense.
“He’s big on legacy,” Harrison said during NBC’s Super Bowl pregame coverage. “And he doesn’t wanna be known as a defender that accomplished so many individual things but never won a Super Bowl. But he also told me this: If he wins a Super Bowl, there’s a strong possibility that he can walk away from the game and retire.”
For what it’s worth, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported something similar just before kickoff from SoFi Stadium.
If the Rams beat the Bengals and Donald indeed hangs up his cleats, he would redefine going out on top. The 2021 campaign represented the seventh straight season in which Donald was the top-graded interior defender by Pro Football Focus.
In 17 games this season, the eighth-year pro racked up 84 tackles and 12 1/2 sacks. Donald is an eight-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner.
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