Six words the Rams knew would one day come but hoped were years away:
The Aaron Donald era is over.
As surreal as it might be, it’s true. One of the greatest defensive players not just of his generation but of all time is calling it a career after 10 seasons that all ended with a Pro Bowl selection, eight with first-team All-Pro spots and one with a Super Bowl championship ring.
As the sacks and memories are sorted through, a question must be asked: What now?
Donald has been the Rams’ best player for each of his 10 seasons. A true pillar, or, as Les Snead called him, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp last offseason, a “weight-bearing wall” for the franchise. One that, so long as he was around, the Rams never needed to consider a rebuild.
Donald gave the Rams one last gift before he retired, returning for the 2023 season to pass along some of his wisdom to the younger generation before hanging up his cleats. Rookies like Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Desjuan Johnson played with and learned from one of the greats, and it elevated the defense and the team as a whole to an unexpected playoff appearance.
But the emotional departure of Donald leaves the Rams with some very practical holes to fill.
First and foremost, is Donald’s production on the field. It’s impossible to replace him with one player, and his departure impacts the looks the rest of the defensive line will get. Turner and Young far outplayed their third-round draft status as rookies with nine and eight sacks, respectively. But they would not have enjoyed such clean paths to the pocket without Donald absorbing his typical double- and triple-teams even in Year 10.
The Rams have known that this was Donald’s decision for some time, a source said. The front office entered free agency with this understanding. They freed up some salary cap space by converting Donald’s $30 million salary to a $13.8 million bonus, reducing Donald’s cap hit for 2024 to $17 million, per Spotrac.
But the Rams have already used much of that cap space on free-agent signings, from a heavy investment in offensive guards Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson to a couple of defensive back additions in Darious Williams and Kamren Curl.
Now, on the third day of the NFL’s new calendar year, the Rams’ free-agent options across the defensive line and at edge rusher are limited. Most of the top names have already signed. Others, like Jadeveon Clowney, have already scheduled multiple visits with other teams.
So Donald’s departure likely means the Rams will have to use pick No. 19 in next month’s draft on a pass rusher.
Given the high volume of elite offensive talent in this year’s draft, some intriguing prospects could fall to the Rams at their current draft position, from Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II to edge rushers Jared Verse of Florida State, Laiatu Latu of UCLA and Chop Robinson of Penn State. If the Rams don’t want to take any chances, they have the draft capital to move up and get their man.
But beyond the playing field, Donald’s departure adds to a loss in leadership in the defensive meeting room.
Since the season ended, the Rams have seen defensive coordinator Raheem Morris leave to become the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, defensive line coach Eric Henderson depart for USC and now Donald retire. Safety and defensive captain Jordan Fuller agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers on Friday, per NFL Network.
Newly promoted defensive coordinator Chris Shula will have to create a new culture for the Rams defense in short order. A big part of that will likely be linebacker and captain Ernest Jones IV, whom the Rams have already expressed a desire to extend before he completes the final year of his rookie contract. Some of the savings from Donald’s retirement will probably be diverted to Jones.
With Donald’s retirement, it’s a new era for the Rams in more ways than one.
