Star defensive lineman Aaron Donald has spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams (they were actually in St. Louis for his first two seasons), but being that Donald is from Pittsburgh, some have wondered if the future Hall-of-Famer would like to end his career with the Steelers.
With the Rams preparing to play the Steelers this Sunday, Donald was naturally asked about the possibility of him finishing out his career with his hometown team, but he quickly shut down the notion.
“Not really, no,” Donald said when asked if he has thought about playing for Pittsburgh via the Rams’ official team website. “I never thought of it. I never thought about it.”
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
As for how Donald feels when he plays against the Steelers? He says the novelty has worn off, but he still watches the club from afar.
“My first year, I was excited about it,” said Donald. “Obviously, going back to Pittsburgh (in 2019), it was exciting. Now, it’s cool to play against the team that I grew up watching and all that, but it’s just another week. Want to find a way to be successful. … I still consider myself a Steelers fan until we’ve got to play them, and I still look to see if they’re doing good.”
Not only did Donald grow up in Pittsburgh, but he also played collegiate football for the University of Pittsburgh before being selected by the Rams with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Since breaking into the league, Donald has established himself as one of the most dominant defensive linemen ever to play the game.
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
The 32-year-old has made the Pro Bowl in his first nine seasons and earned seven straight First-Team All-Pro selections between 2015 and 2021.
Donald’s best campaign came back in 2018 when he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks. Donald has logged 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks through seven games this season.
