Aaron Donald told NBC's Rodney Harrison he might retire with Super Bowl win
Aaron Donald is 30 years old and in the prime of a certain Hall of Fame career.
Given the chance to go out on top, he might take it.
Prior to Sunday's Super Bowl victory, the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle was the focus of a pregame feature with NBC's Rodney Harrison. According to Harrison, Donald told him that there's a "strong possibility" he'll retire if the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
"If he wins a #SuperBowl, there's a strong possibility that he could walk away from the game and retire."
Rodney Harrison on Aaron Donald and his future in football. #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/tFzkHz8Axc— Super Bowl LVI on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 13, 2022
"He's big on legacy," Harrison said. "He doesn't want to 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 could walk away from the game and retire."
Harrison, a studio analyst who spent 15 years playing safety in the NFL, generally isn't in the business of breaking news. But Donald opened up to him on camera about his approach to playing football and apparently floated the retirement talk with Harrison off camera.
Would Donald really quit football in his prime?
Donald retiring this offseason would certainly arrive as a shock to the NFL. The eight-year veteran is largely considered the most dominant defensive player of his generation. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and has finished in the top five in voting for Defensive Player of the Year every season since, winning the award three times. He's a seven-time All-Pro and has made the Pro Bowl every season of his career as a backfield menace and a rare defender who regularly pressure quarterbacks from the interior.
There's no player like him in football, and athletes of his elite caliber generally don't call it quits with so much gas left in the tank. Take Tom Brady, for instance. But an early exit wouldn't be unprecedented. Barry Sanders retired at 30 years old and didn't have a Super Bowl ride into the sunset.
Donald addresses retirement talk after Super Bowl win
Donald made a critical play with a fourth-down pressure of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to secure the 23-20 Rams win. After the game, he wasn't interested in talking retirement with NBC's Michele Tafoya. He also didn't deny that the option was on the table.
"I'm in the moment," Donald said when asked about retirement talk. "I'm just gonna enjoy this right now with these guys, when my kids come on to the field. This is a promise I made to my daughter when she was five. We're gonna play in the confetti for a minute. I'm just gonna live in the moment."
Donald is one of the game's most physical players and makes his living in the football trenches. He's made nearly $100 million playing football. The only thing missing from his résumé was a Super Bowl ring. If he decides to prioritize preserving his body for the rest of his life after securing one, it would make sense.
But it would still be a stunner.
