Aaron Donald is considered one of the most feared players in the National Football League. According to his colleague Russell Wilson, Donald is the best defensive player he has ever played against. He described him as very capable of putting pressure on the field. No wonder Pro Football Focus named him the NFL’s Best Pass Rusher and NFL Best Player in 2017. The defensive end played for the University of Pittsburgh before being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft. Learn more about him below.
Aaron Donald’s bio
The player, whose middle name is Charles, was born on May 23, 1991 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His journey to becoming a soccer player began when he was a child. He then played the sport with his peers for fun, but once he got to Penn Hills High School, he took football seriously and joined the school’s football team under coach Andrew Slome.
Aaron made the first All-State Class AAAA in his junior and senior years and recorded 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior.
By the end of high school, Rivals.com projected him as a three-star prospect and also ranked him the 37th-best defenseman in the nation. He received scholarship offers from four universities but chose his home school in Pittsburgh.
During his freshman year, he played 13 games as a reserve defensive end. The following year, he moved to the starting lineup and was named a second-team All-Big East selection. His junior season was prolific as he won first-team All-Big East honors and Aaron Donald became one of the NCAA’s most prolific defensive players in his senior year. He was eventually voted ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American.
The Rams then signed a four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract worth $10.13 million.
his salary
In his over five seasons in the NFL, Donald has earned a career $51.09. He made $3.23 million in 2017, but his 2018 cap hit of $8.89 million, which ranks sixth on the Los Angeles Rams’ active roster, puts him very well in the NFL placed.
In August 2018, the Rams announced a winning renewal for Aaron Donald, a six-year, $135 million contract including a $40,000,000 signing bonus, $86,892,000 guaranteed and an average annual salary of $22.5 million -dollar that overshadowed the $19.1 million average Von Miller made with the Broncos in 2016.
That current salary not only makes Donald the highest-paid defensive player of all time, but also puts him in the league only elite quarterbacks have attained. He is now the 10th highest-paid player by NFL salary, after nine quarterbacks.
In 2018, Aaron Donald’s base salary was $892,000 while his signing bonus was $40 million. He also had a $8,892,000 cap hit and a $50 million dead cap hit.
family, woman
Aaron Donald is the son of Archie Donald (father) and Anita Goggins (mother). He has two siblings – Akita (sister) and brother Archie, who played football in Toledo. They all grew up in Pittsburgh and that made the family natural Steelers supporters. However, his dream of being a professional soccer player drew him to the St. Louis Rams, where his family has stood by him solidly every time he plays with the team.
The player’s family is undeniably close-knit. After Aaron won the Rookie of the Year award in 2014, he decided to put a smile on his father’s face by buying him a truck. The very proud dad couldn’t contain his excitement as he was seen in a video throwing punches in the air with a heartwarming smile all over his face.
Although the former University of Pittsburgh player has yet to tie the knot, we think he will do just that when the time is right, hopefully with his girlfriend Jaelynn Blakey, who already has two children for him.
Jaelyn, like her husband, was born in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, and they attended the same Penn Hills High School from which she graduated in 2010. The couple met and fell in love in high school and have been together ever since. They welcomed their first child, a beautiful daughter named Jaeda, in April 2013 and Aaron Jr. arrived three years later on April 6, 2016.
Aaron Donald’s weight, height
The Los Angeles Rams defensive end possesses an unusual combination of size, speed, and strength that allows him to terrorize opponents anywhere on the defensive line. He stands at a decent 6ft 1in (1.85m) and weighs 280 pounds (127 kg).
Aaron Donald has apparently lost some weight since he got into the NFL as his preliminary draft shows he weighed 129kg. The talented player has an arm length of 0.83 m and hands are 0.25 m in size.