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The Los Angeles Rams are heading into 2022 with Aaron Donald and Sean McVay, but there was a moment when this was an uncertainty. Heading into the Super Bowl, both the head coach and All-Star pass rusher had openly contemplated retirement.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Ian Van Roy, Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead revealed that there was no plan set in place had the pass rusher retired. Basically, he claimed that replacing Donald was impossible. Here's how he put it:
"You can't replace Aaron Donald. So there was no contingency plan. You'd have to be realistic that, if he were to say that, you know what? 'Had enough.' Okay, how do we replace him? I don't think you replace him with another player."
He went on to say that his loss would change the team's strategy:
"But you go by how do WE generate pressure without him? So you're gonna have to skin the cat in a different way the day he decides he's had enough football."
Aaron Donald's career
The pass rusher was originally drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, according to Pro Football Reference. With such a high draft stock, many put high expectations on his shoulders. Put simply, they expected him to hit the ground running. Based on his rookie numbers, most would agree that he met those expectations.
In his first year, he earned nine sacks and 48 total tackles. He continued to improve in 2015, earning 11 sacks and 69 total tackles. Between 2016 and 2021, he went on to have five double-digit sack seasons. Twenty-eighteen was his best season.
In 2018, he nearly doubled his next-best season in terms of sacks. He nearly set a new record for sacks recorded in a season when he earned 20.5 sacks. Of course, in 2018, the team went to the Super Bowl, and he played in the game for the first time.
However, his greatest run yet may have come in the postseason at the end of the 2021 NFL season. In four postseason games, the pass rusher earned 3.5 sacks and even posted a pass defense. In the Super Bowl, he sacked Joe Burrow and essentially ended the game in favor of the Rams.
Although Donald was contemplating retirement earlier this year, he's back in the lineup and appears to be as committed as ever. Will he win the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons?
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Sportskeeda.
