This year’s offseason saw two big names in the league retiring. Fans were barely coping with the news of Jason Kelce stepping off the field for good when Aaron Donald also announced that it was his time to hang up the cleats. The formidable defensive tackle of the Rams spent ten years with the team and was the backbone of their defense.

Donald’s final game with his draft team was the playoff against the Detroit Lions on Jan 15th. Though the Rams lost by a mere 1 point, the tackle was nowhere depressed. Rather, with the knowledge that it was his last time with the team, the 32-year-old breathed all the feels in for one last time. The former Rams tackle talked about his emotional post-match moments with coach Sean McVay in a recent conversation.

Aaron Donald recalls his last time in the Rams locker room

On the Green Light podcast, host Chris Long reminisced about his own retirement, saying that the last game was an emotional roller coaster. He then asked about Donald’s experience with the Detroit game, which the former Rams star answered candidly.

The 2014 draft shared that while he’s an “emotional” guy and his usual reaction after a playoff loss is “mad upset,” his last game against the Lions was different. Despite the Rams’ loss, Donald was in high spirits and was just “proud” of how his teammates played. The 2021 Super Bowl Champion embraced coach McVay and had an emotional exchange with his mentor.

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“I’m just absorbing, taking it all in, bro, and it’s like this the last time that you know I’m going had his shoulder pads hammer on and get the -experience walking off an NFL football field I went to the locker room. I remember hugging Sean. He said, “Is that it?”- I said, “That’s it.” “

While Donald was upholding his calm, cheerful demeanor while embracing the HC and his teammates, soon, the realization would hit him in full force, and the floodgates were open.

Donald got emotional taking off his shoulder pads

The Rams big man was holding his composure well as he bid his adieus to McVay, Henderson, and his teammates in the locker room. However, as he took off his shoulder pads, he realized that it was the last time he would be doing this mundane ritual. Same way, he felt emotional untying his spikes and how this would be his last time undressing after a hard match in the Rams’ locker room.

“I remember taking my shoulder pads off for the f***ing last time that’s when it really just like hit me I’m like, damn, this the last time I’m going – to ever do this,” said Donald. “-[I’m] about to take my Spike off, and I thought about like this the last time that I’m ever going like in the locker room be lacing unlacing my Spike taking it off this is this the last time my eyes start water I had to catch it real quick.”

Donald joked that he sneakily caught the treacherous tear before anyone could see. But in the end, he was satisfied that he “did it the right way,” and he’s happy about it. The formidable DE leaves a massive void in the Rams’ defense, having amassed 340 solo tackles, 111 sacks, and 176 tackles for loss in his ten seasons with Los Angeles.

Read This: Aaron Donald Says Jason Kelce’s “Little Fast A**” Is Why He Hated Playing Against Eagles