Aaron Donald’s retirement ended the daunting era of his defensive dominance. While players who’ve faced the fearful tackle on the field heaved a sigh of relief, his teammates felt the gaping hole in the Los Angeles Rams. While the veteran’s tenure as the defensive tackle is common football knowledge, his locker room’s stories enlighten a different side of Donald.

The Rams’ wide receiver, Puka Nacua opened up about his experience of playing with the veteran tackle. The rookie talked about his chance encounter with the legend, which marked the beginning of their bond. But hilariously, there was an instance where the vet almost got the rookie into trouble!

When Donald put Nacua at risk of coach’s rebuke

Calling Donald the “goat blueprint,” the young wide receiver related in a conversation with Maxx Crosby, how the rookies would sit in the back row, next to the defense line players, in the team meetings. It was during such moments when Nacua discovered the “funny” persona of the legend. Donald would be joking with his defense teammates, and whenever the coach would speak, the tackle would poke the players, “vibing” with his homies.

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While Nacua enjoyed Donald’s banter, at times, it landed him in hot water, too! He related how the coach would throw stern looks at their corner of the room, and the WR was at the threat of having his “ass chewed out” due to the ruckus their crew was creating. Nacua even had to ask the veteran to “shut the hell up,” in fear of incurring the coach’s wrath.

“Like he’s hilarious, but it’s also like I’m in the back like, and I feel like every time coach McVay’s eyes would like, go into like an extra glare like he was looking at our back corner,” said Nacua. “So I’m like, man, he’s looking at me like AD’s – busting jokes the whole time. I’m laughing, but coach [is] very serious. He’s like, “Hey, on – third and seven right here.” We’re looking at this coverage, and I’m just like, “AD, can you shut the hell up!”

Nacua revealed how Donald had a friendly bond with the rookie and, at the same time was the “leader” who the young players could look up to and learn from. While the offense and defense didn’t get to spend much time together during the training, their first meeting was memorable.

Nacua’s first encounter with Aaron Donald

Nacua confessed how he regrets taking his time with Donald for granted. The rookie further delved into the time he had his first encounter with the legend, which was while working out. While the veterans’ workout was over, Donald was still lingering in the weight room. A loud “Move” was the first interaction Nacua had with the legend, and it was scary enough to startle the rookie.

“He’s like “Move” and I- jump, like all he says is “move.” A petrified Nacua turned his back to him to avoid eye contact and, after another “move,” left what he was doing and left the weight room, saying he’ll be back. “He says move again like, and then I set the gun down, walked out of the weight room, and I was like, I’ll be back, I don’t know what time our life it at, but I don’t- not be right now.”

Aaron Donald has built an irreplaceable place for himself as one of the most fearful tackles of all time. While replacing him would be a humongous task, the Rams need to make some big changes to fill the void in their defense.

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