Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald won his first Super Bowl title last season after his team defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, in Super Bowl LVI. After notching his first Lombardi Trophy, Donald said he knows why Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady keeps on playing despite his age. In an interview with the “I Am Athlete” podcast, Donald said there “there’s no other feeling like it” when they won the Super Bowl last season, so there’s a possibility that he could change his mind on retirement. In his 22-year career, Brady has won seven Super Bowl rings – six with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.
According to NFL.com, Donald earlier declared that he’s ready to call it a career after eight years in the NFL if he doesn’t reach a new deal with the Rams.
But Donald said there’s a chance that he could keep on playing to experience anew their Super Bowl LVI win. “It’s like I want to do everything I can to like experience that again like now I see why Tom Brady can play this game so long because this guy won seven of these,” said Donald, who is seeking a fresh deal from the Rams despite having three years left on his current six-year, $135 million deal he signed in 2018. Donald is set to earn $14.25 million in the upcoming season and $19 million in each of the last two years of his contract.
Last season, the Rams defeated Brady and the Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round. After that game, Brady decided to hang up his cleats but announced his return for his 23rd season 41 days later. If he eventually retires from playing, an NFL analyst job is waiting in the wings for Brady after he signed a massive 10-year deal worth $375 million with Fox Sports.
Bucs sign veteran defensive tackle
Instead of signing veteran Ndamukong Suh, the Buccaneers opted to bring in a new veteran to boost their defensive line. According to NFL.com, the Buccaneers have signed former Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Akiem Hicks to a one-year deal worth $10 million. Last season, Hicks suited up for just nine games, recording 3.5 sacks and 25 tackles.
Hicks’ contract is slightly higher than the $9 million Suh earned with the Buccaneers last season, where he tallied six sacks and 27 tackles in 17 outings. Suh, for his part, remains unsigned, but according to USA Today, the Las Vegas Raiders could be a potential destination for the defensive lineman. Bringing in the 35-year-old Suh is an upgrade for the Raiders compared to projected starting defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, who tallied just three sacks last season for the Chicago Bears. BIlal also had eight sacks in his previous season with the Bears. Suh also played a big role in the Buccaneers’ win in Super Bowl LV, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs for their first Lombardi trophy since 2002.
