Google News Aaron Donald says retiring from NFL wasn't option after disappointing 2022 season
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Aaron Donald claims he never thought about retiring during this past season. After helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021, Donald thought about retiring but ultimately agreed to continue his career and sign an extension with the Rams.
But Rams' Super Bowl defense ended in disaster as the team finished with a 5-12 record - didn't come anywhere near making the playoffs - they also saw a couple of their star players suffer an injury. Donald was one of those players as the star defensive end missed six games due to an ankle injury that later required surgery.
"You never want to end your career the way it was last year. It never really crossed my mind. Just trying to do everything I can to get myself healthy to be here today," Donald said, per CBS Sports.
Donald committed to helping the Rams bounce back in 2023
"I made a commitment to this organization to do everything I can to do my part.
Obviously it's different than what we've seen the past few years. A lot of young guys will have to step up and will have to be a huge part in us having success," Donald added. After the 2022 season ended, the Rams made several notable changes, which included moving on from Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd.
The Rams will have some new faces on the defensive side this year and Donald insists he will be fine with them as long as they are ready to put in the work. During this past NFL draft, the Rams used their second-round pick to draft linebacker Byron Young.
"As long as they've got the right mindset to work and do what they need to do at a high level and are willing to put the work in, me personally as a football player, as a competitor, I can work with that. I'm just going to play ball.
I've been playing since I was 5, 6 years old. I'm going to try to do everything I can to continue to play at a high level. Again, you've just got to trust that the guys next to you are going to get their job done," Donald explained.
