Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American professional football defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
Donald played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, winning the Bronko Nagurski, Outland, and Bill Willis trophies and the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards in 2013. Selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, Donald spent his first 10 seasons with the franchise before retiring in 2023, but returned in 2026. He has been named Defensive Player of the Year a record three times, along with receiving Pro Bowl selections in all 10 of his seasons and eight first-team All-Pro honors. Donald was also a member of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2026.
Aaron Charles Donald was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1991. He grew up as one of three children in a working-class family in the city's Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar neighborhood; Donald later admitted that he was "lazy as a kid." Seeking to provide a sense of structure in his son's life, Donald's father introduced him to workouts, and they would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and work out for nearly two hours in the gym that his father installed in their basement by the time Donald was 12.
Donald attended Penn Hills High School, where he played high school football for head coach Ron Graham. Donald was a first-team All-State Class AAAA selection in each of his final two seasons, and compiled 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks as a senior. Donald also started at offensive guard.
Considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Donald was rated as the 37th best defensive tackle in the nation. He committed to hometown Pittsburgh over other scholarship offers from Toledo, Akron, and Rutgers.
As a true freshman in 2010, Donald played in all 13 games as a reserve defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He recorded 11 tackles, including three for loss, and two sacks.
As a sophomore in 2011, Donald moved into the starting lineup and turned in a breakout campaign. He recorded 47 tackles, including 16 for loss, 11 sacks, and a forced fumble while being named a second-team All-Big East Conference selection.
As a junior in 2012, Donald recorded 64 tackles, including 18.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, earning first-team All-Big East honors.
As a senior in 2013, Donald became one of the most productive defensive players in the entire NCAA. He posted 59 tackles, including a career best 28.5 for loss, 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American.
The University of Pittsburgh retired Donald's No. 97 jersey at halftime on November 15, 2025. Two months later, on January 14, 2026, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
At the NFL Combine, Donald set the record for fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle at 4.68. The record was previously held by Tank Johnson, who ran a 4.69 in 2004. Donald drew comparisons to John Randle afterwards.
Donald was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round (13th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. On June 16, 2014, the Rams signed him to a four-year, fully guaranteed $10.14 million rookie contract with a $5.69 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option.
Donald made his regular season debut during the season-opening 34–6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and finished with four solo tackles. In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Donald recorded two tackles and his first NFL sack on Josh McCown during the narrow 19–17 road victory.
During Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, Donald was given his first career start and finished the 31–17 loss with four solo tackles. In the next game against the Seattle Seahawks, Donald had five combined tackles and a sack during the narrow 28–26 victory. The following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded two solo tackles and a forced fumble in the 34–7 road loss.
During a Week 9 13–10 road victory over the 49ers, Donald recorded two tackles and sacked Colin Kaepernick once. From Weeks 11–15, he recorded a sack in each game and had a pass deflection in the Week 13 52–0 shutout victory over the Oakland Raiders. In the regular season finale against the Seahawks, Donald had a season-high seven combined tackles and strip-sacked Russell Wilson once during the 20–6 road loss.
Donald finished his rookie year with 47 combined tackles (37 solo), nine sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 16 games and 12 starts. Donald was one of five rookies selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
Donald began the 2015 season as a starting defensive tackle. During the season opener against the Seahawks, he finished with nine tackles and two sacks in the 34–31 overtime victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time after his performance. In the next game against the Washington Redskins, Donald had five tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 24–10 road loss. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded four tackles and a sack in the 12–6 loss.
During a Week 7 24–6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Donald had three solo tackles and a sack. Three weeks later against the Chicago Bears, he recorded seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in the 37–13 loss. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, Donald had a season-high nine tackles and sacked Joe Flacco once during the 16–13 road loss.