Aaron Donald earns remarkable praise from future NFL Hall of Fame QB

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford only had great things to say about Aaron Donald when he went to Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce's podcast

Aaron Donald earns remarkable praise from future NFL Hall of Fame QB

Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald (Image via IMAGO)

Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford shared a locker room for three years at the Los Angeles Rams before the star defensive tackle retired from football. Stafford recently was on the Kelce brothers (Jason and Travis) podcast, reliving some old memories with Donald.

During a practice session at the Rams’ facility, Donald charged Stafford after snapping the ball so quickly that he ended up hitting the pass rusher’s helmet very hard. Right after the incident, everyone put on guardian caps over their helmets to make sure no one hurt themselves.

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[Donald] was crazy in his ability, and I would say the respect that he got from offensive lines in other offenses was something I have never seen before.

Matthew Stafford said on the New Heights podcast

Jason, retired Philadelphia Eagles center, agreed with every word from Stafford. The older Kelce claimed that the Eagles planned differently for Donald compared to other pass rushers.

We treated him differently than other defensive tackles that we ever played… AD [Aaron Donald was like] wanted to kill somebody—it was like a different level of intensity. His motor, it was every single snap, every single play; you couldn’t take a play off, and he never took a play off. I don’t know how he had that kind of conditioning

Jason Kelce said

Aaron Donald once pushed a cancer survivor a little too hard

One time a cancer survivor met with Donald through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The 3x NFL Defensive Player of the Year invited the kid to a private workout session that didn’t go so well.

Aaron Donald earns remarkable praise from future NFL Hall of Fame QB
Aaron Donald (Image via IMAGO)

I’m walking by like, ‘What is about to happen?’ I’m over there doing banded or something. And 30 minutes in, and AD [Aaron Donald] is ripping curls—next thing you know, this kid is puking in the trash can in the hallway. I’m like, ‘AD, can you please have a little couth, a little understanding?’ It was unbelievable

Matthew Stafford told the Kelce brothers

Who could be the next Aaron Donald in the NFL?

It has been over a year since Donald retired, but the league has no shortage of great pass rushers. Browns Myles Garrett, Chiefs Chris Jones, Cowboys Micah Parsons, Raiders Maxx Crosby, 49ers Nick Bosa, and Steelers TJ Watt are at the top of the food chain in terms of pass rushers.

Donald has faced them at some point during his career, but from his view, they are not the Aaron Donald 2.0. That crown went to the Eagles’ Jalen Carter.

I had a chance to talk to Aaron Donald yesterday, one of my best friends. You know what he said? ‘Shady, I haven’t watched football like that in a long time. That guy, Jalen Carter, my replacement, is here.

LeSean McCoy revealed during an episode of FS1’s Facility in January

The Eagles drafted the former Carter in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. In his first two seasons, the ex-Georgia man appeared in 32 games, racking up 75 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, 20 tackles for losses, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble return, and 1 touchdown.

Carter still has miles to go before reaching the levels of Aaron Donald. In his first two seasons, he already had 20 sacks, 147 tackles, and 40 tackles for losses. However, Carter has Donald beaten in one area. The 23-year-old won his first-ever Super Bowl after just two campaigns, while it took Donald seven.

Donald played a total of 154 games in the NFL, racking up 543 combined tackles, 111 sacks, 176 tackles for losses, 21 pass deflections, 24 forced fumbles, and 7 forced returns. He will go down as one of the best defensive tackles ever to play in the NFL and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.