Commanders LB Bobby Wagner on Rams DT Aaron Donald's Retirement: 'One of the Greatest'
Few players got to witness the greatness of retired Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald like newly-signed Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wagner spent most of his career facing Donald twice a year when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. In the lone year when Wagner wasn't on the opposite sideline from Donald, he was his teammate with the Rams in 2022. Given that experience as a division rival and a teammate, Wagner spoke highly of Donald's impact on the game and the work he put in to reach his level of greatness.
Nov 13, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner (45) celebrates with defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) after a sack in the second half at SoFi Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
"He's meant so much," Wagner said of Donald. "To be able to play with him that one year was amazing. I was fortunate, but the real thing was to watch him work [and] watch him work out. Not a lot of d-linemen really put in that work in the film room as well as on the field."
Few players can retire and it's already known that their next stop is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Donald is one of them, as he accumulated accomplishments that have him in the conversation for one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
Donald was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018 and 2020), an eight-time All-Pro and a 10-time Pro Bowler. Donald was also the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Super Bowl Champion in 2021.
Donald finished his career with 111 sacks, shattering the previous franchise record for the Rams by Leonard Little, who had 87.5. He was also the fastest player to ever reach 100 sacks by a defensive tackle in NFL history. Donald's 20.5 sacks in 2018 is a single-season record for a defensive tackle.
"He was able to do so much in his career and he's had an amazing career and I'm excited for whatever he has next," Wagner said. [He's a] great human being, amazing player, one of the greatest, and it was a fun career to watch.”
