Aaron Donald helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory during the 2022 NFL playoffs. Now, he is trying to parlay that performance into a lucrative contract with Los Angeles, and he is using every negotiation tactic in the book to try to make that happen.
That includes publicly floating the possibility of retirement to gain leverage in those contract negotiations.
Donald recently appeared on Brandon Marshall's "I Am Athlete" podcast to discuss his future and his new relationship with Kanye West's Donda Sports. Donald acknowledged that while winning remains his primary goal, he understands that he needs to maximize his value at this stage in his career.
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“It ain’t about the money, but it’s a business at the end of the day,” Donald said, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk. “That’s what you’ve got to see. For me, it’s about winning. I don’t want to play football if I can’t win anyway, so I feel like if I got a real opportunity to win another Super Bowl, then it makes sense to play.
"But again, it’s still a business. We’ve got to handle the business side of things, and if that wasn’t to get handled then, you know, it is what it is type of situation. I’ll be fine regardless."
Donald then directly addressed the possibility that he could retire. He noted that rumors of him potentially stepping away from the NFL began before the Rams won Super Bowl 56. They were publicized ahead of the event by NBC's Rodney Harrison, and that led many to believe that he would step away from the game if Los Angeles won the game.
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However, Donald said that actually had an inverse effect on him because the Rams won. That led him to reconsider the eight-year plan he had entering the NFL.
I said I’m going to play eight years, and I’m going to probably be done playing football. But winning a Super Bowl you get kind of a little addicted to it. I ain’t going to lie. I want to feel that again. That experience is like none other. If I was to play, it’s just to win another Super Bowl, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it got to make sense to me and my family.
Donald is halfway through a six-year, $135 million contract he signed during the 2018 offseason. He is set to make $14.25 million in cash during the 2022 NFL season, per Spotrac.com, which ranks just 102nd in the NFL. And he will be just the sixth-highest-paid player on the Rams in 2022.
| Player | Total cash for 2022 |
| Matthew Stafford | $61.5 million |
| Leonard Floyd | $16.5 million |
| Allen Robinson | $15.5 million |
| Jalen Ramsey | $15 million |
| Cooper Kupp | $14.875 million |
| Aaron Donald | $14.25 million |
Donald has averaged 15 sacks and four forced fumbles per 17 games played since signing his initial extension in 2018. He has also won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award twice during that four-year span and has routinely ranked as one of Pro Football Focus' top-two overall players. As such, it's understandable that he would want a raise.
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But will the Rams give it to him? Donald noted on the podcast that the two sides will "probably figure out" a new contract that keeps him on the field. Sean McVay also noted in March that he expects Donald to the return to the team.
However, if negotiations go awry, Donald has no problem hanging up his cleats and moving on to the next part of his life.
“I don’t need to play football to be fine. I’m fine,” Donald said. “I was blessed to play this game, to make the money I 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.”
