Aaron Donald

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Donald played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, winning the Bronko Nagurski, Outland, and Bill Willis trophies and the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards in 2013. Selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, Donald spent his first 10 seasons with the franchise before retiring on March 15, 2024. He has remained retired and has not played in 2026. He has been named Defensive Player of the Year a record three times, along with receiving Pro Bowl selections in all 10 of his seasons and eight first-team All-Pro honors. Donald was also a member of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

In Their Own Story

In 2017, Donald missed training camp due to a contract dispute, accumulating roughly $1.4 million in fines before reporting on September 9. He made his season debut in Week 2 against the Redskins, recording two tackles. The following week on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers, he sacked Brian Hoyer to seal a narrow 41–39 victory. From Weeks 6 through 10, Donald recorded a sack in every game and forced three fumbles while deflecting a pass during a Week 10 win over the Houston Texans. His relentless pressure continued into December; in a Week 12 victory over the Saints, he tallied five tackles and a sack, followed by two sacks of Blaine Gabbert against the Cardinals. These performances contributed to him winning his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. The franchise later retired his No. 97 jersey at halftime on November 15, 2025.

Reader's Guide

At the NFL Combine, Donald set the record for fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle at 4.68. The record was previously held by Tank Johnson, who ran a 4.69 in 2004.

Did You Know?

• Donald grew up in Pittsburgh's Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar neighborhood and was 'lazy as a kid' before his father introduced him to early-morning workouts.
• He attended Penn Hills High School and was a first-team All-State Class AAAA selection in each of his final two seasons.
• As a senior at Pittsburgh in 2013, Donald posted 28.5 tackles for loss, a career best, and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
• Donald's 97 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh on September 1, 2024.