A few months ago, Rams star Aaron Donald wanted to end his NFL career. The star’s agent even sent out a resignation letter, but it didn’t reach its destination

Munich – It’s been almost four months since Rams star Aaron Donald was ready to end his NFL career for good. According to “NFL Network”, his agent Todd France even sent a letter to the franchise’s bosses at the end of the offseason. According to the letter, Donald’s retirement will take effect on May 9.

The letter, which was addressed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and should have been forwarded by the Los Angeles Rams, was never sent to the league office, however, and is said to have remained unpublished to this day.

Instead of what was supposed to be a resignation, France subsequently negotiated a salary increase for the defensive tackle that was not accompanied by an extension of his then-current contract.

Donald wanted to end NFL career

In 2018, he had signed a six-year, $136 million contract. Although it’s rare for defensive players to get more money without committing to the team for a longer period of time, that’s exactly what the three-time Defensive Player of the Year had hoped for

Negotiations on that, however, had stalled. So Donald appeared on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast in late May and declared he was “at peace” with ending his career if no agreement was reached.

Donald’s retirement would have been costly for the Rams

But although the letter announcing the resignation was sent to Rams bosses, it didn’t come to light until a Zoom call much later, according to “NFL Network.” And so both parties kept getting closer, but had to be strategic.

Had the letter reached the NFL, it would have resulted in a $21.5 million salary cap hit for the Rams – by early June, that had become just nine million. On 6 June, the revised contract was finally signed, the letter of resignation forgotten.