LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald spent 10 years flattening quarterbacks, crushing ball-carriers, fighting through perpetual double-teams and generally wrecking NFL offenses. He was relentless, reliable and infinitely resourceful while he led the Los Angeles Rams all the way to a Super Bowl championship.

And on Friday, Donald decided a decade of dominance was enough.

The most accomplished defensive lineman of his generation has retired after a stellar 10-year career.

The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made his somewhat surprising announcement on social media. He doesn’t plan to have a retirement news conference or any public farewell, but his impact on the Rams and the NFL is already indelible.

The 32-year-old Donald spent his entire career with the Rams, who drafted him in the first round in 2014 out of Pitt. The Pittsburgh native was selected for 10 Pro Bowls and eight All-Pro first teams, and he won the award as the league’s top defensive player in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

“Throughout my career, I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically – 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be,” Donald said in a statement. “I respected this game like no other, and I’m blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me. Not many people get drafted to a team, win a world championship with that team and retire with that team. I do not, and will not, take that for granted.”

Although smaller than many top defensive tackles, Donald used his extraordinary athleticism and game savvy to wreak havoc on offenses throughout his career. He was the cornerstone of every Rams defense during his tenure, drawing habitual double-teams away from his teammates and still racking up a franchise-record 111 sacks, third in the NFL among active players.

STEELERS: Pittsburgh is trading quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple sources.

The Steelers will receive a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft and two seventh-round choices in the 2025 draft in exchange for Pickett and Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick this year.

The trade comes just hours after the Steelers signed nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to a one-year deal to compete with Pickett for the starting job, though all signs appeared to be pointing to Wilson having the edge when the team reported for training camp at Saint Vincent College in July.

Wilson declined to say he expected to be the starter when asked during his introductory press conference on Friday and added he and Pickett had connected shortly after Wilson agreed to terms with the team, saying they were both focused on making the Steelers better.

Pickett, a first-round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh in 2022, went 14-10 as a starter.

BROWNS: Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans coach, had been hired by Cleveland as a coaching and personnel consultant, according to ESPN.

Vrabel, who won NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2021, was one of the more surprising coaches to find himself on the chopping block this offseason. Even more surprisingly, Vrabel was not tabbed to land one of the head coach vacancies across the NFL this offseason.

BUCCANEERS: Free-agent cornerback Bryce Hall and Tampa Bay agreed to a one-year contract, according to reports.

Hall, 26, spent the first four years of his career with the New York Jets, starting 26 of 39 games he appeared in with the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.

49ERS: San Francisco found help at linebacker, agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent De’Vondre Campbell, who entered the league as a fourth-round pick for Atlanta in 2016 when 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan was offensive coordinator for the Falcons.

RAMS: Safety Kamren Curl agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Los Angeles. He’ll make at least $8.75 million, and possibly as much as $12.75 million.

Curl spent his first four NFL seasons with the Washington Commanders, who drafted him out of Arkansas in the seventh round.

TRADE: The Minnesota Vikings acquired Houston’s first-round pick, giving them the 11th and 23rd overall selections as potential capital toward their next franchise quarterback.

The Vikings sent their second-round pick and one of their sixth-round picks for this year and their second-round pick in 2025 to the Texans in exchange for the 23rd overall pick and a seventh-rounder this year. The deal leaves Houston without a first-rounder, for now.

Copy the Story Link