Who Is Aaron Donald’s Wife? Meet Erica Donald and Their Family

Aaron Donald is back.

More than two years after retiring from the NFL, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year stunned the football world on Aug. 30 by announcing his return to the Los Angeles Rams for the 2026 season.

And there was one person in the Donald household who couldn't resist having a little fun with the news.

“I let him out the house y’all 🤣💙🫶🏽,” Donald's wife, Erica, joked on X after his comeback became official.

I let him out the house y’all 🤣 💙🫶🏾
— Erica Donald (@EriDon_99) August 30, 2026

It was a funny seven-word response, but there was also something fitting about Erica being right in the middle of the conversation surrounding her husband's return.

Long before Donald retired in 2024, he had spoken openly about the importance of being present for his children. Erica has been beside him through some of the biggest moments of his career while also building an impressive résumé of her own in the sports industry.

Now, with Donald putting No. 99 back on, here's everything to know about the woman beside him and the family waiting for him away from the field.

Who Is Aaron Donald’s Wife, Erica Donald?

Erica Donald, formerly Erica Sherman, already worked in the NFL world before she and Aaron became a couple.

A Louisiana State University graduate who studied mass communication and public relations, Erica built a career in sports marketing and community relations. Her résumé has included working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later the Rams, where she served in community affairs and player involvement.

That Rams connection ultimately brought her into Aaron's orbit.

The two met while Erica was working for the organization, although their relationship did not immediately become romantic. They eventually began dating, and Aaron apparently didn't waste much time once they did.

In fact, he proposed twice.

Erica has previously explained that Donald first popped the question only a few months into their relationship while the two were on vacation. There was no ring that time. He later proposed again on Erica's birthday, this time with one.

The couple has largely kept the details of their wedding private.

That privacy has carried over into much of their family life, but Erica has occasionally offered glimpses into their world together on social media.

What Does Aaron Donald’s Wife Do?

Calling Erica simply “Aaron Donald's wife” leaves out a pretty significant part of her story.

Her career has been rooted in sports for years.

After her time working for NFL organizations, Erica moved deeper into athlete marketing and partnerships. She previously worked as vice president of athlete partnerships at sports-focused production company Game1 and has been closely involved with the business surrounding her husband's career.

Today, the two work together off the field as well.

Erica oversees Aaron's marketing strategy and is a co-owner of Donald Development Group. She is also involved with the AD99 Foundation, the family's nonprofit organization focused on creating opportunities for underserved young people.

That makes their partnership bigger than what fans see on NFL Sundays.

Erica has been there as a spouse and mother, but she has also become part of the team helping shape Donald's life and legacy away from football.

How Many Kids Does Aaron Donald Have?

Donald is a father of four.

He shares daughter Jaeda and son Aaron Jr. with a former partner. He and Erica have since welcomed two children together, making theirs a blended family of six.

Donald and Erica welcomed their first son together, Aaric, in September 2021. Even his name carries a piece of both parents: Aaric combines Aaron and Erica.

Erica first announced that she was pregnant on May 23, 2021, which happened to be Aaron's 30th birthday.

“Thankful you were given life 30 years ago today and blessed to create another with you,” she wrote at the time.

In April 2023, Erica announced another pregnancy. The couple did not make a similarly public birth announcement, although Rams coach Sean McVay revealed that August that Donald was missing a preseason game because a baby was due. Current reporting lists the couple as sharing two children together.

Aaron Donald Has Never Hidden How Much His Kids Mean to Him

For all of Donald's accomplishments, family has never been some footnote to his football career.

Years before he actually retired, Donald spoke candidly about the emotional toll of balancing his career in Los Angeles with being a father.

In a 2022 Sports Illustrated profile, Donald explained that Jaeda and Aaron Jr. spent much of the year in Pittsburgh while he lived in Southern California with Erica and Aaric.

“I'm thinking about my kids, first, always,” Donald said at the time. “People who know me understand why.”

He described struggling as his oldest daughter became school-aged and could no longer visit him in Los Angeles as easily. Behind one of the most dominant careers the NFL had ever seen was a father increasingly conscious of everything the job required him to miss.

That context made his retirement in March 2024 easier to understand.

When Donald sat down with Erica after announcing his decision, he described himself as “complete” and “full.” After 10 seasons, a Super Bowl championship and virtually every individual honor available to a defensive player, he was ready to give more of himself to life away from football.

The priorities apparently haven't.

Donald is returning to the Rams for another run in 2026. And judging by Erica's first reaction to the news, the family that got considerably more time with him during retirement is having some fun with giving him back.

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