Donald will take time to consider retirement after Super Bowl win

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is finally a Super Bowl champion, but he isn't ready to decide on his NFL future.

Donald said he'll take some time to ponder retirement following the Rams' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini.

Speculation that Donald could hang up the cleats if L.A. won the Super Bowl arose shortly before the game.

"He's big on legacy," NBC's Rodney Harrison said. "He doesn't want to be known as a defender that accomplished so many individual things and never won a Super Bowl.

"But he also told me this: If he wins a Super Bowl, there's a strong possibility he could walk away from the game and retire."

Donald reiterated his intention to put his future to one side and relish the win during the postgame press conference.

"I'm just in the moment right now," he said, per Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star. "I'm gonna enjoy this with my teammates, my family."

Donald put together a stellar performance in the Super Bowl victory. He racked up two sacks and sealed the win for the Rams by pressuring Joe Burrow on fourth down.

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games," Donald said.

The defensive tackle will turn 31 years old in May and has two years remaining on his contract.

Aaron Donald is due $14.25 million in total compensation for 2022. Theoretically, he could be made to pay back $8 million of signing-bonus proration if he retires, though I could easily see the #Rams telling him to keep the change. Anyway, those are the financial implications.

- Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 14, 2022

Donald already boasts a Hall of Fame-caliber resume, which includes three Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight Pro Bowls, and seven first-team All-Pro nods.

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