Account
Rams' Aaron Donald Sparks Retirement Buzz After Temporary Change to Twitter Bio
January 15, 2023
Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald gave many a scare on Sunday when he appeared to have hinted that his career is coming to an end with a slight edit to his social media profile.
Donald edited his Twitter bio to "former NFL D Linemen for the Rams #99," leaving many to wonder if the 2022 NFL season was his last and retirement is on the horizon. However, he later changed it back to it's original caption:
Donald's wife, Erica, appeared to respond to the social media eruption with a light-hearted reaction:
This is the second consecutive year that Donald has been the subject of retirement rumors. It had been speculated that he would call it a career following the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory, but he later agreed to a restructured contract that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at $65 million through two years and $95 million through 2024 should he choose to play that long.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in September that the 31-year-old seriously contemplated ending his career last offseason and even submitted a retirement letter to the Rams. However, the team never sent the letter to the NFL and later negotiated a deal for him to return.
Donald and the Rams had a tumultuous 2022 season in which the defending champions failed to make the playoffs and finished with a 5-12 record. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year appeared in just 11 games and finished with 49 total tackles and five sacks before being shut down for the season because of a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 12.
It seems that Donald isn't ready to end his legendary career on a sour note, but Sunday's gaffe was enough to give fans a realization that he could walk away sooner rather than later.
