Aaron Donald Opens Up About Why He Almost Retired

The Pittsburgh Panthers legend and Los Angeles Rams All-Pro explains why he almost walked away, and why he chose not to.

Pittsburgh Panthers legend Aaron Donald has done everything he could at the NFL level. The Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman has claimed multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, All-Pro accolades, and now, a Super Bowl trophy. And after he finished off the all-time checklist, a question arose many did not see coming.

"Will he retire?"

The reasons to why seemed simple. Donald has done everything one sets out to do in the NFL, and now, it's time to move on. But it's much more complicated than that.

Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop recapped Donald's decision on returning instead of retiring, and how it weighed a lot on his dedication to his family.

“I’m thinking about my kids, first, always," Donald said. "People who know me understand why."

Donald lives in Southern California with his wife, Erica, and their son, Aaric. However, his other two children, Jaeda and Aaron Jr., spend most of the year in Pittsburgh.

While Donald spends some of his offseason back in his home town, he realized recently that the distance between he and his two children was becoming harder to bare.

"But there comes a point where it’s too much," Donald said, "and you have to just have to let it go."

Donald ultimately decided to return, and the details about the entire journey are much better described by Bishop. But when everything was said and done, the decision came down to one moment - a picture that captured the Super Bowl winner, shirtless, holding the Lombardi trophy infront of the city of Los Angeles. 

"Viewed one way, the shot looks like the pinnacle, the moment when there’s nothing left to accomplish, and it’s time for a champion to go full dad. Viewed from another angle, it’s a king standing before his kingdom, and rather than retire, he’s ready to rule," Bishop writes.

And during that same time, in the middle of the parade, head coach Sean McVay said one thing to Donald that sealed the deal.

"I was here before you and couldn’t get the job done," McVay said. "We need you. You can’t leave."

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