Aaron Donald is an insightful player, and not just when he’s talking about football. He may not be the most outspoken guy, but in his interview on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, which spanned more than an hour, he opened up about several topics – from his new deal with Donda Sports to his post-football aspirations.
Here are the most important things we learned about Donald from that interview, highlighting the best moments.
He doesn’t need football to be happy
Donald enjoys playing football, but it isn’t everything to him. He made it clear that he doesn’t need to be on the field to be happy, enjoying life outside of football – like spending time with his family and venturing into the business side of things.
“I’m happy. I’m fine. The thing is, I don’t need to play football to be fine. I’m fine,” he said. “I was blessed to play this game, to make the money I’ve made, the accomplishments I made in eight years is, like, I’m complete. If I can win another one, that’s great. But if not, I’m at peace.”
He thinks a deal with the Rams will probably get done
Negotiations are obviously ongoing, and this is really the first time Donald has taken his feelings about the situation publicly. The Rams hope to get something done before the season to ensure that Donald is still part of the defense, and he seems to think a new deal will probably get worked out at some point.
“It’s probably gonna get figured out but if it wasn’t to, I’m not gonna be mad at the organization. It’s fine. It’s cool,” he added.
He believes the pay gap between QBs and defenders should be smaller
Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid player in the NFL at $50.2 million per year. The closest defender is T.J. Watt at $28 million per year – just over half of what Rodgers is making. Donald doesn’t deny the fact that quarterbacks are most important, but he…