Aaron Donald built a Hall of Fame-caliber career by disrupting offenses from the interior defensive line. Even after announcing his retirement, the former Los Angeles Rams star remains part of conversations about the NFL‘s greatest defensive players.
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The Rams selected Donald with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He went on to spend 10 seasons with the franchise, becoming one of the league’s most dominant defensive tackles and helping Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI.
Donald finished his career with 111 regular-season sacks, according to the Rams’ official retirement announcement. That total places him among the most productive interior defenders of his era, an impressive achievement given the double-teams and crowded spaces defensive tackles regularly face.
Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt Built Remarkable Careers
J.J. Watt also established himself as one of the defining defenders of his generation. Watt recorded 114.5 career sacks, leaving him ahead of Donald on the official career sack leaderboard.
The comparison extends beyond their sack totals. Both players won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times, an achievement shared by only a select group of defensive stars. Their ability to influence games through pressure, tackles for loss and disruptive plays made them difficult matchups for opposing offenses.
Donald earned eight first-team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl appearances during his career. He also won the 2022 Super Bowl with the Rams, delivering the decisive pressure on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during the closing moments of the championship game.
The Rams have continued to celebrate Donald’s achievements, including through their official team account on X.
Although Donald’s playing career reached its initial conclusion in 2024, his legacy remains firmly established. Any claim that he is actively closing the gap on Watt’s sack total would require confirmation of a return to NFL action and updated statistics.
For now, Donald’s 111 career sacks and collection of individual honors provide a strong foundation for his place among the most accomplished defensive tackles in NFL history.
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