The Los Angeles Rams ultimately fell short last season, bowing out in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual champions, the Seattle Seahawks. As a result, the organization has left no stone unturned to make its way back to the big game.
With Matthew Stafford returning for at least one more season, they shored up on defense by adding Trent McDuffie as well as Myles Garrett. But one piece of the puzzle remains uncertain, with former Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald still on the fence about his decision.
Rams Plagued by Aaron Donald Uncertainty
Last season, the Rams ranked fifth on PFN’s Defense Impact Metric. While near the top of the league at face value, it fell apart near the end of the season, as they finished below their season score (87.1) over the final six weeks of the season.
That trend continued during the playoffs as well, as they were way short of the number in all three postseason games. As a result, the team believed it needed help on that side of the football, with two blockbuster trades bringing them McDuffie and Garrett.
However, Donald remains a question mark. One of the most decorated players in NFL history, he won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was a first-team All-Pro selection in eight of his 10 seasons in the league.
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Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, he retired at the end of the 2023 season. But with this core trying to make a major push towards adding another Super Bowl to the franchise’s illustrious history, rumors have been swirling about a potential comeback.
The veteran defensive tackle has already worked out and trained with the team, but hasn’t yet come to a final decision. As a result, fans are certainly feeling anxious, and that voice has reached his wife, Erica Donald, as well.
Taking to Instagram, she even shared a meme about the feeling within the fan base, laughing about the insanity surrounding his return. The clip in question was the famous NBA moment, where Carmelo Anthony, sitting in the front row, faked a shot attempt.
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Erica and her husband met while she was working for the Rams in sports marketing. They have two children together, Aaric and Aali, and have been raising his two children from a previous relationship, Jaeda and Aaron Jr., together as well.
Currently, she is in charge of her husband’s media strategy, and the two have also launched a non-profit organization catered towards helping youth from underserved communities called AD99 Solutions.
