Aaron Donald’s name still belongs in the same breath as the biggest defensive wrecking balls the NFL has ever seen, even with his playing career officially in the rearview mirror.
The Rams’ former star left behind a career built on relentless interior pressure, finishing with 111 regular-season sacks, according to the team’s official retirement announcement. That total puts him just behind J.J. Watt, who sits at 114.5 career sacks on the official leaderboard.
The gap matters in the numbers, but the broader comparison is what keeps Donald in the conversation. Watt and Donald each won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times, a distinction reserved for only the most devastating defenders of their era. Both made offenses feel them from everywhere - pressure, tackles for loss, plays that forced panic before the ball could even develop.
Donald’s résumé goes well beyond sacks. He was selected by the Rams with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent 11 seasons with the franchise, becoming one of the league’s most dominant defensive linemen while helping Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI. Over that stretch, he piled up eight first-team All-Pro selections and 11 Pro Bowl appearances.
He also delivered in the biggest moment of all, winning the 2022 Super Bowl with the Rams and applying the decisive pressure on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the closing moments of the championship game.
The Rams have kept celebrating what Donald meant to the franchise, including on their official X account.
Donald’s playing career reached its initial conclusion in 2024, and any talk about him actually overtaking Watt would depend on him returning to the field after retirement. For now, the numbers he already put up - and the hardware that came with them - are enough to secure his place among the most accomplished defensive players in NFL history.
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