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Aaron Donald says he’s hungry to win another ring and is getting better with age
Cameron DaSilva
April 4, 2022 10:47 am PTAll signs point toward Aaron Donald coming back to the Rams in 2022, despite Los Angeles losing Von Miller and having yet to re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. He hasn’t publicly announced it yet, but Sean McVay said Donald told the Rams he intends to play again next season after weighing retirement earlier this offseason.
What will assure that Donald is still on the field in 2022 is a contract extension, which the Rams are working on right now. They’re seeking to reward him for the dominance he’s displayed since signing a six-year, $135 million deal in 2018, which he’ll happily welcome.
While on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, Donald said he’s had conversations with the Rams, confirming what Sean McVay and Les Snead have said. And while he initially thought he’d want to be done playing football after Super Bowl LVI, he still feels hungry to win another ring.
“I had conversations with the Rams. We talked,” he said. “(If) we bring the guys back – certain guys back – and we got a real shot to repeat and really win another Super Bowl, why not come back and play? That’s all it’s about. I experienced this and it’s like, I thought I’d want to be done, but I got addicted to it. It’s like, I ain’t satisfied. I want to get it one more time. We gonna see after we get this second one. That’s what we’re gonna do. But I’m hungry to try to get another one, for sure. I can’t lie about that.”
Donald said he and the Rams are in a good spot negotiation-wise right now and that he’s talked to McVay, Stan Kroenke, Kevin Demoff and Tony Pastoors, among other veterans within the organization.
He sounds optimistic that a deal will get done.
“We in good talks right now,” he said. “I got a lot of love with the Rams and the organization. I had some conversations with Mr. Kroenke, the owner, with Sean (McVay), with (Kevin) Demoff, with Tony (Pastoors), with some of the other veteran guys around. So just looking like we can be back, so we’re good. We’re good.”
Donald turned 30 last year but he showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. He had 12.5 sacks, 25 QB hits and a career-high 84 tackles, earning his seventh consecutive All-Pro selection and eighth Pro Bowl nod.
Aside from some added aches and pains, Donald doesn’t feel like he’s slowing down at all. If anything, he thinks he’s still getting faster and is in better shape now than he was in years past.
It sure doesn’t sound like someone who’s going to retire at the age of 30.
“I was just with my guy on Wednesday training, and I always ask him after I work out, I say, ‘Whatchu think?’ He texted me back, like, ‘You got about three, five more years with how you’re moving.’ I feel good. I really do feel good,” Donald said. “I feel quick, I feel explosive, so I don’t feel like I’m slowing down. If anything, I feel like I’m getting faster. I feel like I’m in better shape. I keep telling people, I get better with age. I don’t slow down. I just feel like I’m getting that much stronger. I look better with age and all that.”
Donald’s latest workout video confirms that he is still fast despite it only being April. He looks like he’s in midseason form already.
.@AaronDonald97 is DIFFERENT. 😤pic.twitter.com/2Lhd0Tzj6X
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 4, 2022
John Randle played for 14 seasons. Sapp played for 13 seasons. Alan Page played for 15 seasons. Steve McMichael, the great DT on the old 85 Chicago defense, played for 15 seasons. Randy White played for 14 seasons. 2022 will be Donald’s 9th season. So 4 or 5 more years sounds possible.
i agree. the only question is if he actually wants to. or if he wants to leave early.
it doesn’t sound like he wants to leave early. he says that he thought the feeling would go away. but it sounds like that desire might actually be even stronger than it was before…
jourdan rodrigue put out a tweet that said he and jalen ramsey were heavily involved in recruiting wags the second he was released by the seahawks… wags was released March 9 2022. von miller signed with the bills March 16 2022…
hmmm… was the plan all along to sign both miller and wags?? or maybe as soon as they found out miller wasn’t coming back donald and ramsey started working on wagner.
either way it doesn’t really matter. it sounds like donald is very much engaged with this team. not just for this upcoming season. but even a couple seasons beyond that perhaps.
donald is pretty much in his prime. not that far off. i looked at wagner and it’s very possible that he could have near-prime years for at least another 3 years. and the guy probably takes care of himself like few in the nfl do. he strikes me as a pro’s pro. much like aaron donald. if my hunch is right about that, he could very easily have a couple more first or second team all pros in him. especially playing behind aaron donald. and ramsey is right in the middle of his prime years.
i think you could get prime donald, prime wags, and prime ramsey together for maybe 2 seasons – 3 if you wanna be REALLY optimistic.
very very excited.
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