There are a lot of players who are fortunate to have played alongside Aaron Donald as a member of the Rams. He helped make everyone around him better, including both pass rushers and players in the secondary.
He also made his coaches look better each and every week because of how absolutely dominant he was on the interior, wreaking havoc on the opposing offense no matter what the defensive play call was.
That’s part of what makes Sean Mcvay so grateful to have spent the last seven years coaching Donald in Los Angeles. After Donald announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday, McVay shared a statement on the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and what he meant to him.
“The great players in our league elevate the people around them and Aaron has modeled the way for our team as long as I’ve been with the Rams,” McVay said. “He’s an elite competitor, someone who leads by example in a way that’s authentic to him, and an exceptional teammate who inspires everyone around him to be the best version of themselves. As great of a player he is, he’s an even better person. He is truly one of one and epitomizes everything that’s right about sports. I will forever cherish the memories we’ve made and will always be grateful for how he poured everything into this game and into our team. He’s meant a lot to me personally and to my family.”
The Rams don’t reach the Super Bowl in 2018, McVay’s second season as a head coach, if not for Donald. They also don’t win it all in 2021 if not for Donald, who sealed the victory over the Bengals with some quick pressure on Joe Burrow in the final seconds of the game at SoFi Stadium.
McVay and his defensive coordinators maximized the impact Donald could have on a game by moving him around the defensive line and doing their best to get him one-on-one opportunities, but Donald was going to feast on blockers no matter the play call.
He was one of a kind as a pass rusher and run stopper, and there will never be anyone like him – the exact sentiment Les Snead shared on Friday.
“There will never be another Aaron Donald,” Snead said.
No, there will not.