The Los Angeles Rams lost their biggest defensive star Friday when Aaron Donald announced that he's decided to call it quits.
Since his rookie year in 2014, Donald has been the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. During his 10 years in the league, he won a total of three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, which is tied with J.J. Watt and Lawrence Taylor for the most in NFL history.
Donald also racked up 111 sacks in his 10 seasons, so it's safe to say that quarterbacks around the NFL certainly won't be sad to see him go. For instance, Kyler Murray seemed pretty thrilled to see Donald call it quits.
THANK GOD.😂😅🫡
— Kyler Murray (@K1) March 15, 2024
There's a good reason why Murray is happy to see Donald out of the NFL, and that's because the Cardinals QB was sacked by Donald more than almost any other QB in the NFL.
When it comes to the quarterbacks Donald sacked the most, Murray ranked in the top three along with two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks.
Let's check out the five players Donald sacked the most (via the Associated Press):
1. Russell WIlson: 15
2. Kyler Murray: 6.5
3. Matthew Stafford: 6
4. Dak Prescott: 5
5. C.J. Beathard: 4
The most notable thing about this list might be the fact that not only was Wilson sacked more than the next two quarterbacks COMBINED, but he accounts for 13.5% of Donald's career sacks.
That being said, the fact that Wilson and Murray are at the top of this list isn't that big of a surprise considering they both played in the same division as Donald. Wilson spent eight seasons in the NFC West with Donald (2014-2021) and played the Rams a total of 21 times during that span. As for Murray, he's spent five years in the same division as Donald (2019-23).
The biggest surprise on this list might be the fact that Donald's OWN teammate made the cut. During Matthew Stafford's time in Detroit, Donald only played against the Lions three times, but he still managed to rack up six sacks on Stafford. Half of that total came during a game in 2015 when Donald sacked Stafford three times during a 21-14 Rams' win over the Lions.
The other surprise name on this list is definitely C.J. Beathard. The Jaguars QB only has 13 starts in his ENTIRE career, but he still ranks in the top five on Donald's all-time sack list. The reason for that is because Donald actually recorded ALL FOUR SACKS in one game. Back in 2020, Beathard was playing for the 49ers and Donald sacked him four times, which tied his career-high for sacks in a game. Thanks to Donald, the Rams rolled to a 39-10 win over San Francisco.
Donald's 111 sacks are the most ever by a defensive tackle through their first 10 seasons. The Rams star recorded at least one sack against 29 of the NFL's 32 teams. The only three teams where he didn't get to the opposing QB were the Eagles, Jets, and of course, the Rams. Next up for Donald will be an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a surefire first-ballot member, Donald will be eligible in 2029.
