For the first time in his head coaching career, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams were forced to work without Aaron Donald in 2024 following the defensive tackle's surprising retirement. Despite the layoff, McVay would welcome the eight-time All-Pro back to the field in a heartbeat.
Since Donald's retirement, McVay has attempted to lure the 33-year-old back to the Rams, he admitted on Barstool Sports' ‘Pardon My Take' podcast. The head coach recalled one of his pitches coming while intoxicated at his son's first birthday party.
“[Aaron Donald] was at my house after we played Minnesota earlier in the season,” McVay said. “It was a Thursday night game, so we had a birthday party for my son Jordan… I think I caught a couple vodka sodas too many, and I was definitely trying to convince him [to return]. He was like, ‘Hey bro, we've already been down this road, man. You know that's not happening.'”
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Without Donald, the Rams' defensive line was led by rookie Braden Fiske and second-year Kobie Turner in 2024. Fiske led the team with 8.5 sacks from the defensive tackle position he took over from Donald. While Los Angeles recorded just 38 sacks as a team, their 8.23 sack percentage was fourth in the league.
The Rams struggled the most without Donald against the run, where they allowed 136.9 rushing yards per game on 4.9 yards per attempt, both bottom-five marks in the NFL. Their lack of run-stuffing eventually led to their demise, allowing Saquon Barkley to run for 205 yards against them in the playoffs in a 28-22 loss.
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Despite a decade-long career, Aaron Donald's retirement still came as a surprise during the 2024 offseason. Still just 33 years old, many initially speculated about an eventual return, a theory the former star continues to deny.
While still young in life, Donald stated he felt his career reached a natural end after 10 years in the league. He believed his career reached its peak when the Rams won Super Bowl LVI but still played two more seasons to round it out to a decade. In a gritty position such as nose tackle, Donald believed he had physically and mentally given the game everything he had.
Nothing can be ruled out, but Donald truly has little left to prove in his career. In his 10 seasons, he established himself as arguably the most dominant and athletic defensive player in NFL history. The former Pitt Panther retired with 111 career sacks, averaging an unprecedented 11.1 per year. For context, interior defensive linemen have averaged 3.52 sacks per year in league history, according to StatMuse.