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Everything we learned from Aaron Donald’s in-depth interview on ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast
Cameron DaSilva
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Aaron Donald is an insightful player, and not just when he’s talking about football. He may not be the most outspoken guy, but in his interview on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, which spanned more than an hour, he opened up about several topics – from his new deal with Donda Sports to his post-football aspirations.
Here are the most important things we learned about Donald from that interview, highlighting the best moments.
He doesn’t need football to be happy
Donald enjoys playing football, but it isn’t everything to him. He made it clear that he doesn’t need to be on the field to be happy, enjoying life outside of football – like spending time with his family and venturing into the business side of things.
“I’m happy. I’m fine. The thing is, I don’t need to play football to be fine. I’m fine,” he said. “I was blessed to play this game, to make the money I’ve made, the accomplishments I made in eight years is, like, I’m complete. If I can win another one, that’s great. But if not, I’m at peace.”
He thinks a deal with the Rams will probably get done
Negotiations are obviously ongoing, and this is really the first time Donald has taken his feelings about the situation publicly. The Rams hope to get something done before the season to ensure that Donald is still part of the defense, and he seems to think a new deal will probably get worked out at some point.
“It’s probably gonna get figured out but if it wasn’t to, I’m not gonna be mad at the organization. It’s fine. It’s cool,” he added.
He believes the pay gap between QBs and defenders should be smaller
Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid player in the NFL at $50.2 million per year. The closest defender is T.J. Watt at $28 million per year – just over half of what Rodgers is making. Donald doesn’t deny the fact that quarterbacks are most important, but he wonders if the gap between the top QBs and top defenders should be as wide as it is.
“I think a quarterback is a quarterback, but I think defensive players should be valued – you’re talking about quarterbacks getting paid $50 million now, so it works both sides,” he said. “ … Is it that big of a drop-off from what they’re getting paid to what the top defensive guys are getting paid? Should it be?”
He wants to get into acting and business ventures after football
Like every athlete, Donald has goals for his post-playing days. He not only wants to continue working with his foundation and giving back, but he also has business ventures he’s exploring and he wants to get into acting.
He even joked that he’s coming for The Rock’s spot.
“I got certain things I want to get involved with. I got a little acting career I want to do after football,” he said. “Got different business ventures I want to be a part of, but at the end of the day, I’m the type of guy that I need to learn everything. Once I got the time to really absorb and continuing to learn the business side, I got different things I want to be a part of.”
He can’t sleep if he doesn’t watch film after a game
This won’t surprise anyone, but Donald doesn’t just go home and sleep after a game. He turns on the film of the game he just played, watches it two or three times, and tries to see what he did well and what he can improve.
“I gotta watch the film before I go to sleep, because I’m tossing and turnin,” he said. “So I’m watching that at least two, three times before I go to sleep. I’ve got to know everything I did good, everything I did bad before anybody else knows it. If they don’t put it up on the iPad, I’m going straight to the facility that night to watch the film. I gotta break it down or I just won’t be able to go to sleep. I’ll be up all night.”
All he cares about now is winning another ring
Donald has accomplished everything individually that a defensive player possibly can – outside of winning MVP, which may never happen with how favored quarterbacks are for that award. So if he returns to the Rams, he’s only doing it to win another Super Bowl. Nothing else.
“If you want to talk football, the only thing that motivates me and pushes me is trying to win another ring,” he said. “That’s it. It ain’t about no individual accolades, it’s none of that because at the end of the day, I accomplished that. I was with teams that wasn’t too good and we wasn’t winning, that (expletive) didn’t really mean nothing because if you don’t get that ultimate goal, it don’t mean nothing. The only thing I’m chasing if I play football is to get a ring. That’s it. That’s all I’m playing for.”
He’s kept in touch with Odell Beckham Jr.
When asked about Beckham, Donald immediately said “he’s a freak” and that “he’s just different.” Donald has kept in touch with Beckham, too, even talking to him recently.
“I just talked to him yesterday,” Donald said. “I know he’s working, doing everything he can to get himself ready and prepared when that time’s going to be, so hopefully it’s with the Rams.”
Donald wanted the Rams to bring everyone back so they would have a good chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions, and perhaps re-signing Beckham – after losing Von Miller – would give him another reason to return for another championship run.
He prefers Rams’ “F them picks” strategy to traditional roster-building
The Rams constructed their roster differently than other teams, choosing to trade first-round picks and other valuable selections for proven veterans like Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Cooks, among others. Donald likes that aggressive approach, knowing rookies don’t always come in and have an impact right away.
“Picks is good, but you gotta think, it’s a process,” he said. “They’re gonna come in good but it’s different when you’ve got those veteran guys that got that experience, that leadership role, all that. Rookies is fine, and sometimes you might find them guys that can be them guys eventually, but if you want to win now, I think a lot of teams are taking that formula of what the Rams did.
“I’m going for the (expletive) them picks. I’m going for a veteran guy that’s got that experience, that’s playing in this league, have that success and know what it takes to get to where we’re trying to get to.”
