99 Problems: Aaron Donald Retires from the NFL
I didn’t intend to write about this, but when I looked at my story catalog, I noticed I was approaching my 99th post for this Medium account, I decided to reflect on the career of Aaron Donald, the man who wore No. 99 and he was definitely a problem on the field — that might be an understatement.
It seems like yesterday when he was being evaluated by analysts pre-draft in 2014. I remember he drew comparisons to Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. This is no slight on Sapp at all, but to me, he surpassed Sapp.
Speaking of which, Aaron has put together a first ballot Hall of Fame resume himself: Defensive Rookie of the Year (2014), Super Bowl champion, 8x All-Pro, 10x Pro Bowler — the second player to make the Pro Bowl every year he played, Barry Sanders being the first — and 3x Defensive Player of the Year, tying Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt.
I saw a tweet recently that stated since the 21st century, nine defensive lineman amassed over 100 sacks, and Aaron (111 sacks) is the only defensive tackle on that list.
I don’t think some people realize how elite and terrifying this dude was. I saw some clips someone posted on Twitter/X recently where this man was drawing triple teams. That’s crazy! (Here’s a post I found back from his rookie season that shows him being triple teamed). He has been dominant since Year One.
I’ve seen a few headlines saying he’s the best defensive player ever. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen, for sure, but the best is debatable. However, I think the argument could be made for him being the best defensive tackle ever.
Opponents had 99 problems (for the most part) playing the Rams defense, and he was the one.
