Aaron Donald has a chance to ride off into the sunset if he feels so inclined.
In the hours leading up to Super Bowl LVI, former NFL safety and current NBC analyst Rodney Harrison revealed Donald told him there would be a “strong possibility” he’d retire if the Rams came out on top Sunday night. Los Angeles ultimately did edge out the Bengals at SoFi Stadium and Donald was a big reason why. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection logged four total tackles, two sacks and a game-sealing pressure on Joe Burrow that squashed Cincinnati’s hopes of putting together a game-tying or go-ahead drive.
Donald side-stepped a question about his potential retirement after the Rams’ 23-20 win, understandably opting to “live in the moment.” Los Angeles general manager Les Snead, on the other hand, provided a much more straightforward take on the matter.
“He’ll sleep on it and see, but I’m not buying it,” Snead told reporters, per NFL.com. “He’s a young kid. He’ll get bored and need something to do.”
Perhaps Snead simply is trying to speak what he hopes will happen into existence. Donald is the backbone of the Rams, and the organization’s chances of running it back next season certainly would diminish if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year isn’t in the fold.
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