Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American professional football defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Donald has been the cornerstone in the Rams defense for over a decade and is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
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 in 2023, but returned 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 to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2026.
Early life Aaron Charles Donald was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1991. He grew up as one of three children in a working-class family in the city's Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar neighborhood; Donald later admitted that he was "lazy as a kid." Seeking to provide a sense of structure in his son's life, Donald's father introduced him to workouts, and they would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and work out for nearly two hours in the gym that his father installed in their basement by the time Donald was 12.
Donald attended Penn Hills High School, where he played high school football for head coach Ron Graham. Donald was a first-team All-State Class AAAA selection in each of his final two seasons, and compiled 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks as a senior. Donald also started at offensive guard.
Considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Donald was rated as the 37th best defensive tackle in the nation. He committed to hometown Pittsburgh over other scholarship offers from Toledo, Akron, and Rutgers.
College career
As a true freshman in 2010, Donald played in all 13 games as a reserve defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He recorded 11 tackles, including three for loss, and two sacks.
As a sophomore in 2011, Donald moved into the starting lineup and turned in a breakout campaign. He recorded 47 tackles, including 16 for loss, 11 sacks, and a forced fumble while being named a second-team All-Big East Conference selection.
As a junior in 2012, Donald recorded 64 tackles, including 18.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, earning first-team All-Big East honors.
As a senior in 2013, Donald became one of the most productive defensive players in the entire NCAA. He posted 59 tackles, including a career best 28.5 for loss, 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American.
The University of Pittsburgh retired Donald's 97 jersey at halftime on November 15, 2025. Two months later, on January 14, 2026, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Professional career Pre-draft
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. Donald drew comparisons to John Randle afterwards.
St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams
2014
Donald was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round (13th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. On June 16, 2014, the Rams signed him to a four-year, fully guaranteed $10.14 million rookie contract with a $5.69 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option.
Donald made his regular season debut during the season-opening 34–6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and finished with four solo tackles. In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Donald recorded two tackles and his first NFL sack on Josh McCown during the narrow 19–17 road victory.
During Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, Donald was given his first career start and finished the 31–17 loss with four solo tackles. In the next game against the Seattle Seahawks, Donald had five combined tackles and a sack during the narrow 28–26 victory. The following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded two solo tackles and a forced fumble in the 34–7 road loss.
During a Week 9 13–10 road victory over the 49ers, Donald recorded two tackles and sacked Colin Kaepernick once. From Weeks 11–15, he recorded a sack in each game and had a pass deflection in the Week 13 52–0 shutout victory over the Oakland Raiders. In the regular season finale against the Seahawks, Donald had a season-high seven combined tackles and strip-sacked Russell Wilson once during the 20–6 road loss.
Donald finished his rookie year with 47 combined tackles (37 solo), nine sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 16 games and 12 starts. Donald was one of five rookies selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
2015 Donald began the 2015 season as a starting defensive tackle. During the season opener against the Seahawks, he finished with nine tackles and two sacks in the 34–31 overtime victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time after his performance. In the next game against the Washington Redskins, Donald had five tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 24–10 road loss. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded four tackles and a sack in the 12–6 loss.
During a Week 7 24–6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Donald had three solo tackles and a sack. Three weeks later against the Chicago Bears, he recorded seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in the 37–13 loss. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, Donald had a season-high nine tackles and sacked Joe Flacco once during the 16–13 road loss.
During Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals, Donald recorded seven tackles and a sack in the 27–3 loss. In the next game against the Detroit Lions, he had five tackles and sacked Matthew Stafford thrice during the 21–14 victory. Donald earned his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season for his spectacular performance against the Lions. During the regular season finale against the 49ers, Donald recorded two solo tackles and a pass deflection in the 19–16 overtime road loss.
Donald finished his second professional season with 69 combined tackles (43 solo), 11 sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and starts. He earned a First-team All-Pro selection for the first time in his NFL career. Donald was also a Pro Bowl selection for the second consecutive season. He was ranked 14th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016: Move to Los Angeles
During the season-opener against the 49ers on Monday Night Football, Donald had three solo tackles before being ejected late in the fourth quarter of the 28–0 shutout road loss for making illegal contact with an official. He was eventually fined $21,269 for unnecessary roughness ($9,115) and unsportsmanlike conduct ($12,154). Two weeks later against the Buccaneers, Donald recorded two tackles and two pass deflections in the 37–32 road victory. In the next game against the Cardinals, he had five tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble during the 17–13 road victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Cardinals.
During a Week 5 30–19 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Donald recorded two tackles and 0.5 sacks. In the next game against the Lions, he had four solo tackles and a sack during the 31–28 road loss. Donald was later fined $18,231 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he committed against the Lions. Three weeks later against the Carolina Panthers, Donald recorded four solo tackles and sacked Cam Newton twice in the 13–10 loss.
During Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins, Donald had two tackles and a pass deflection in the 14–10 loss. In the next game against the New Orleans Saints, he recorded four solo tackles and strip-sacked Drew Brees once during the 49–21 road loss. Two weeks later against the Atlanta Falcons, Donald had two tackles and sacked Matt Ryan once in the 42–14 loss.
During a Week 15 24–3 road loss to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, Donald recorded two combined tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the 49ers, he had five tackles and a sack during the narrow 22–21 loss. During the regular season finale against the Cardinals, Donald deflected a pass in the 44–6 loss.
Donald finished the 2016 season with 47 combined tackles (35 solo), eight sacks, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and starts. He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and his second First-team All-Pro. Donald was also ranked 15th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017: First Defensive Player of the Year Award
On April 12, 2017, the Rams exercised the fifth-year option on Donald's contract. He did not report to training camp and preseason due to a contract extension dispute. Donald accumulated about $1.4 million in fines due to his non-participation, and each game that he missed cost him one game check from his base salary of $1.8 million. On September 9, Donald reported to the Rams and passed his physical, but he did not play in the season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts the next day, which the Rams won 46–9.
Donald made his season debut during Week 2 against the Redskins and finished the 27–20 loss with two tackles. In the next game against the 49ers on Thursday Night Football, he had three tackles and sacked Brian Hoyer during the fourth quarter to seal a narrow 41–39 road victory for the Rams. From Weeks 6–10, Donald recorded a sack in each of the four games and had a forced fumble in three of them while also deflecting a pass in the Week 10 33–7 victory over the Houston Texans.
During a Week 12 26–20 victory over the Saints, Donald had five tackles and a sack. In the next game against the Cardinals, he recorded three solo tackles and sacked Blaine Gabbert twice during the 32–16 road victory. Two weeks later against the Seahawks, Donald had five tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in the 42–7 road victory.
During Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans, Donald recorded five tackles and a forced fumble in the 27–23 road victory. He did not play in the regular season finale against the 49ers as the Rams opted to rest several starters for the playoffs.
Donald finished the 2017 season with 41 combined tackles (32 solo), 11 sacks, a career-high five forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 14 games and starts. He was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl. Donald was also later named a first-team All-Pro for the third time. The Rams finished the 2017 season atop the NFC West with an 11–5 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #3-seed. During the Wild Card Round against the Falcons, he made his postseason debut and finished the 26–13 loss with five tackles and 0.5 sacks. After a spectacular 2017 season, Donald was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was ranked seventh by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018: Second Defensive Player of the Year Award and Super Bowl LIII
On August 31, 2018, after holding out all offseason, Donald signed a six-year, $135 million contract extension with $87 million guaranteed. The deal made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history until Khalil Mack signed a $141 million contract with the Chicago Bears the next day after being traded from the Oakland Raiders.