Ryan Kang/Getty ImagesLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters that he "had a sense" all last season that the 2023 campaign would mark the capstone of defensive lineman Aaron Donald's stellar career.
"We have such a good relationship, I knew the whole year," McVay said at the NFC coaches' breakfast at the annual league meetings in Orlando, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
"Or, at least I had a sense. There was kind of an unspoken understanding—even when we convinced him to come back after we won the Super Bowl in '21, there was kind of always an understanding that it would be a couple of years."
McVay knew about the retirement well before then, though. As told by Rams staff writer Stu Jackson, Donald said to his coach "that's it" following the Rams' 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card matchup.
As for why Donald is hanging up his cleats, he explained the reasoning in a sit-down interview with his wife, Erica.
"I'm complete. I'm full," Donald said, per Jackson.
"I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me. I will always love football, but to think about going through another camp and another 17-(game) season, I just don't got the urge to want to push myself through that no more. I'm just, I'm burnt out. The best way to say it is I'm full, I'm complete. I'm satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years. I think it's time for me at 32 years old to retire from football and jump into the next step of my career, my life. Now it's time to move on."
The former Pitt star made the Pro Bowl in each of his 10 seasons. He earned three Defensive Player of the Year awards and garnered eight First-Team All-Pro honors as well. Unsurprisingly, Donald was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team too.
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