Pre-draft At the
NFL Combine, Donald set the record for fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle at 4.68. The record was previously held by
Tank Johnson, who ran a 4.69 in 2004. Donald drew comparisons to
John Randle afterwards.
2014 Donald was selected by the
St. Louis Rams in the first round (13th overall) of the
2014 NFL draft. On June 16, 2014, the Rams signed him to a four-year, fully guaranteed $10.13 million rookie contract with a $5.69 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option. Donald made his regular season debut during the season-opening 34–6 loss to the
Minnesota Vikings and finished with four solo tackles. In the next game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Donald recorded two tackles and his first NFL sack on
Josh McCown during the narrow 19–17 road victory. During Week 6 against the
San Francisco 49ers on
Monday Night Football, Donald was given his first career start and finished the 31–17 loss with four solo tackles. In the next game against the
Seattle Seahawks, Donald had five combined tackles and a sack during the narrow 28–26 victory. The following week against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded two solo tackles and a forced fumble in the 34–7 road loss. During a Week 9 13–10 road victory over the 49ers, Donald recorded two tackles and sacked
Colin Kaepernick once. From Weeks 11–15, he recorded a sack in each game and had a pass deflection in the Week 13 52–0 shutout victory over the
Oakland Raiders. In the regular season finale against the Seahawks, Donald had a season-high seven combined tackles and strip-sacked
Russell Wilson once during the 20–6 road loss. Donald finished his rookie year with 47 combined tackles (37 solo), nine sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 16 games and 12 starts. Donald was one of five rookies selected to the
2015 Pro Bowl. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
2015 Donald began the 2015 season as a starting defensive tackle. During the season opener against the Seahawks, he finished with nine tackles and two sacks in the 34–31 overtime victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time after his performance. In the next game against the
Washington Redskins, Donald had five tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 24–10 road loss. The following week against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded four tackles and a sack in the 12–6 loss. During a Week 7 24–6 victory over the
Cleveland Browns, Donald had three solo tackles and a sack. Three weeks later against the
Chicago Bears, he recorded seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in the 37–13 loss. In the next game against the
Baltimore Ravens, Donald had a season-high nine tackles and sacked
Joe Flacco once during the 16–13 road loss. During Week 13 against the
Arizona Cardinals, Donald recorded seven tackles and a sack in the 27–3 loss. In the next game against the
Detroit Lions, he had five tackles and sacked
Matthew Stafford thrice during the 21–14 victory. Donald earned his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season for his spectacular performance against the Lions. During the regular season finale against the 49ers, Donald recorded two solo tackles and a pass deflection in the 19–16 overtime road loss. Donald finished his second professional season with 69 combined tackles (43 solo), 11 sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and starts. He earned a First-team
All-Pro selection for the first time in his NFL career. Donald was also a
Pro Bowl selection for the second consecutive season. He was ranked 14th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016: Move to Los Angeles During the season-opener against the 49ers on
Monday Night Football, Donald had three solo tackles before being ejected late in the fourth quarter of the 28–0 shutout road loss for making illegal contact with an official. He was eventually fined $21,269 for unnecessary roughness ($9,115) and unsportsmanlike conduct ($12,154). Two weeks later against the Buccaneers, Donald recorded two tackles and two pass deflections in the 37–32 road victory. In the next game against the Cardinals, he had five tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble during the 17–13 road victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Cardinals. During a Week 5 30–19 loss to the
Buffalo Bills, Donald recorded two tackles and 0.5 sacks. In the next game against the Lions, he had four solo tackles and a sack during the 31–28 road loss. Donald was later fined $18,231 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he committed against the Lions. During Week 11 against the
Miami Dolphins, Donald had two tackles and a pass deflection in the 14–10 loss. In the next game against the
New Orleans Saints, he recorded four solo tackles and strip-sacked
Drew Brees once during the 49–21 road loss. Two weeks later against the
Atlanta Falcons, Donald had two tackles and sacked
Matt Ryan once in the 42–14 loss. During a Week 15 24–3 road loss to the Seahawks on
Thursday Night Football, Donald recorded two combined tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the 49ers, he had five tackles and a sack during the narrow 22–21 loss. During the regular season finale against the Cardinals, Donald deflected a pass during the 44–6 loss. Donald finished the 2016 season with 47 combined tackles (35 solo), eight sacks, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and starts. He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and his second First-team All-Pro. Donald was also ranked 15th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017: First Defensive Player of the Year Award On April 12, 2017, the Rams exercised the fifth-year option on Donald's contract. He did not report to training camp and preseason due to a contract extension dispute. Donald accumulated about $1.4 million in fines due to his non-participation, and each game that he missed cost him one game check from his base salary of $1.8 million. On September 9, Donald reported to the Rams and passed his physical; however, he did not play in the season-opener against the
Indianapolis Colts the next day, which the Rams won 46–9. Donald made his season debut during Week 2 against the Redskins and finished the 27–20 loss with two tackles. In the next game against the 49ers on
Thursday Night Football, he had three tackles and sacked
Brian Hoyer during the fourth quarter to seal a narrow 41–39 road victory for the Rams. From Weeks 6–10, Donald recorded a sack in each of the four games and had a forced fumble in three of them while also deflecting a pass in the Week 10 33–7 victory over the
Houston Texans. During a Week 12 26–20 victory over the Saints, Donald had five tackles and a sack. In the next game against the Cardinals, he recorded three solo tackles and sacked
Blaine Gabbert twice during the 32–16 road victory. Two weeks later against the Seahawks, Donald had five tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in the 42–7 road victory. During Week 16 against the
Tennessee Titans, Donald recorded five tackles and a forced fumble in the 27–23 road victory. He did not play in the regular season finale against the 49ers as the Rams opted to rest several starters for the playoffs. Donald finished the 2017 season with 41 combined tackles (32 solo), 11 sacks, a career-high five forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 14 games and starts as the Rams finished the 2017 season atop the
NFC West with an 11–5 record. He was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl. Donald was also later named a first-team All-Pro for the third time. During the
Wild Card Round against the Falcons, he made his postseason debut and finished the 26–13 loss with five tackles and 0.5 sacks. After a spectacular 2017 season, Donald was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was ranked seventh by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018: Second Defensive Player of the Year Award and Super Bowl LIII On August 31, 2018, after holding out all offseason, Donald signed a six-year, $135 million contract extension with $87 million guaranteed. The deal made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history until
Khalil Mack signed a $141 million contract with the
Chicago Bears the next day after being traded from the
Oakland Raiders. During a Week 4 38–31 victory over the Vikings on
Thursday Night Football, Donald had five tackles and his first two sacks of the season on
Kirk Cousins. In the next game against the Seahawks, Donald recorded two tackles and a sack during the narrow 33–31 road victory. The following week against the
Denver Broncos, he had three tackles and sacked
Case Keenum once in the 23–20 road victory. During Week 7 against the 49ers, Donald recorded a season-high nine tackles, four sacks on
C. J. Beathard, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the 39–10 road victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his spectacular performance. In the next game against the
Green Bay Packers, Donald had three tackles and sacked
Aaron Rodgers twice during the narrow 29–27 victory. Donald was later named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the month of October after recording eight sacks, 17 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. The following week against the Saints, Donald had a solo tackle, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in the 45–35 road loss. During a Week 10 36–31 victory over the Seahawks, Donald had four tackles and 2.5 sacks. In the next game against the Chiefs, Donald recorded four tackles and strip-sacked
Patrick Mahomes twice during the
54–51 victory. Following a Week 12 bye, the Rams went on the road to face the Lions. Donald finished the 30–16 victory with six tackles and sacked
Matthew Stafford twice (one was a strip-sack). During Week 16 against the Cardinals, Donald recorded seven tackles and sacked rookie
Josh Rosen thrice in the 31–9 road victory. Donald earned his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season for his spectacular performance. His three sacks brought his season total to 19.5, which broke the record for most sacks in a season by a defensive tackle, which was previously held by
Keith Millard with 18. In the regular season finale against the 49ers, Donald had four solo tackles and sacked
Nick Mullens once during the 48–32 victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for December, his second such award of the season. Donald finished the 2018 season with 59 combined tackles (41 solo), a league-leading 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a pass deflection in 16 games and starts as the Rams finished atop the NFC West with a 13–3 record. His 25 tackles for loss led the league. Donald was named to his fifth Pro Bowl. He was also named to the
AP All-Pro First-team, being the only unanimous selection. Donald was later named NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, joining Lawrence Taylor and J. J. Watt as the only players who have won the award in consecutive seasons. In the
Divisional Round against the
Dallas Cowboys, Donald recorded two solo tackles during the 30–22 victory. During the
NFC Championship Game against the Saints, he once again had two solo tackles in the controversial 26–23 overtime road victory as the Rams advanced to
Super Bowl LIII. In the Super Bowl against the
New England Patriots, Donald recorded five tackles during the 13–3 loss, with the Patriots offensive linemen (including
Joe Thuney) double teaming Donald in order to neutralize his effectiveness, which was cited as a key factor in the result. Donald was ranked as the best player in the NFL by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 During Week 3 against the Browns on
Sunday Night Football, Donald recorded four tackles and his first sack of the season on
Baker Mayfield in the 20–13 road victory. However, Donald was later fined $21,056 for a roughing-the-passer hit on Mayfield. Three weeks later against the 49ers, Donald had seven tackles and sacked
Jimmy Garoppolo twice (one was a strip sack) in the 20–7 loss. In the next game against the Falcons, Donald recorded two tackles along with a strip sack on
Matt Ryan and recovered the football during the 37–10 road victory. During a Week 8 24–10 victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals in London, Donald had three solo tackles and sacked
Andy Dalton once. Following a Week 9 bye, the Rams went on the road to face the Steelers. Donald finished the 17–12 loss with six tackles and sacked
Mason Rudolph once. In the next game against the Bears on
Sunday Night Football, Donald recorded four tackles, two sacks, and a pass deflection during the 17–7 victory. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. During Week 13 against the Cardinals, Donald recorded two tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 34–7 road victory. In the next game against the Seahawks, he once again had two tackles and 1.5 sacks in addition to a pass deflection during the 28–12 victory. Two weeks later against the 49ers, Donald recorded three tackles and sacked Garoppolo 1.5 times in the 34–31 road loss as the Rams were eliminated from playoff contention. Donald was selected to the Pro Bowl after finishing the 2019 season with 48 combined tackles (29 solo), 12.5 sacks, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and starts. He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl. Donald also earned First Team All-Pro honors. He was ranked third by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020: Third Defensive Player of the Year Award During the season-opening 20–17 victory over the Cowboys on
Sunday Night Football, Donald had four tackles and his first sack of the season on
Dak Prescott. Two weeks later against the Bills, Donald recorded six tackles and sacked
Josh Allen twice, one was a strip sack where he recovered the football in the 35–32 road loss. In the next game against the
New York Giants, Donald had two combined tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 17–9 victory. During Week 5 against the
Washington Football Team, Donald recorded four solo tackles and four sacks (one was a strip sack) in the 30–10 road victory. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his spectacular performance. Two weeks later against the Bears on
Monday Night Football, Donald had three tackles and 0.5 sacks on
Nick Foles in the 24–10 victory. In the next game against the Dolphins, he recorded four tackles and a strip sack on rookie quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa on Tagovailoa's first career passing attempt during the 28–17 road loss. During a Week 12 23–20 loss to the 49ers, Donald had five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Cardinals, he recorded three tackles and a sack during the 38–28 road victory. The following week against the Patriots on
Thursday Night Football, Donald had two tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 24–3 victory. During Week 16 against the Seahawks, he recorded two tackles and a sack in the 20–9 road loss. Donald finished the 2020 season with 45 combined tackles (27 solo), 13.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection in 16 games and starts. He was named to the
2021 Pro Bowl. Donald also earned First Team All-Pro honors. During the
Wild Card Round against the Seahawks, he recorded three tackles and sacked
Russell Wilson twice in the 30–20 road victory. In the
Divisional Round against the Packers, Donald had one tackle during the 32–18 road loss. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four years. Donald was ranked second by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021: Super Bowl LVI During the season-opening 34–14 victory over the Bears on
Sunday Night Football, Donald recorded three tackles and his first sack of the season on
Andy Dalton. Two weeks later against the Buccaneers, Donald had three tackles, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and sacked
Tom Brady once in the 34–24 victory. During Week 5 against the Seahawks on
Thursday Night Football, Donald had seven tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection in the 26–17 road victory. In the next game against the Giants, he recorded two tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a pass deflection during the 38–11 road victory. Two weeks later against the Texans, Donald had four tackles and sacked
Davis Mills 1.5 times in the 38–22 victory. During a Week 9 28–16 loss to the Titans on
Sunday Night Football, Donald recorded four tackles and sacked
Ryan Tannehill once. In the next game against the 49ers on
Monday Night Football, Donald had a season-high eight tackles during the 31–10 road loss. Following a Week 11 bye, the Rams went on the road to face the Packers. He finished the 36–28 loss with six tackles, but choked guard
Lucas Patrick. Donald was later fined $10,300 for his behavior. During Week 13 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, Donald had five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in the 37–7 victory. In the next game against the Cardinals on
Monday Night Football, he recorded five tackles, a pass deflection, and sacked
Kyler Murray thrice during the 30–23 road victory. Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his spectacular performance. The following week against the Seahawks, Donald had five tackles and a sack in the 20–10 victory. During a Week 16 30–23 road victory over the Vikings, Donald recorded six tackles and strip sacked
Kirk Cousins once. Donald earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for his performance in December. In the next game against the Ravens, Donald had five tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a forced fumble during the narrow 20–19 road victory. Donald finished the 2021 season with a career-high 84 combined tackles (38 solo), 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and four pass deflections in 17 games and starts. He also earned a Pro Bowl nomination and First Team All-Pro honors. During the
Wild Card Round against the Cardinals, Donald recorded a tackle and 0.5 sacks in the 34–11 victory. However, similar to what happened during Week 12, he choked
D. J. Humphries and was later fined $10,815 for unnecessary roughness. In the
Divisional Round against the Buccaneers, Donald had five tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection during the 30–27 road victory. During the
NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, he recorded three tackles while his pressure on quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo led to a game-sealing interception and the 20–17 victory as the Rams advanced to their second Super Bowl in four seasons. In
Super Bowl LVI against the Bengals, Donald had four tackles and two sacks, as well as the game-sealing pressure play on
Joe Burrow on a fourth-and-1 with less than a minute remaining that resulted in an incompletion and the 23–20 victory. Donald was ranked second by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022: Injury-shortened season On June 7, 2022, the Rams announced they had renegotiated Donald's existing contract extension that he signed in 2018. The deal, which added $40 million over the last three years of the original six-year, $135 million deal, made Donald the first non-quarterback to average over $30 million per season. On August 25, he was part of a joint practice fight between the Rams and Bengals. During the fight, Donald was recorded swinging a Bengals player's helmet at Bengals players. During the season-opener against the Bills, Donald had two solo tackles and a sack in the 31–10 loss. In the next game against the Falcons, he recorded two tackles and a fumble recovery during the 31–27 victory. The following week against the Cardinals, Donald had six tackles and his 100th career sack on Kyler Murray in the 20–12 road victory. During a Week 5 22–10 loss to the Cowboys, Donald recorded six tackles and sacked
Cooper Rush twice (one was a strip sack). In the next game against the Panthers, Donald had four tackles and a pass deflection during the 24–10 victory. Three weeks later against the Buccaneers, he recorded four tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection in the 16–13 road loss. During Week 13 against the Chiefs, Donald had three solo tackles in the 26–10 road loss but suffered a high ankle sprain. He missed the rest of the season as a result. Donald finished the 2022 season with 49 combined tackles (27 solo), five sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 11 games and starts. For the ninth time, he earned Pro Bowl honors. Donald was ranked 11th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
2023: Final season During the season-opening 30–13 road victory over the Seahawks, Donald recorded four tackles and 0.5 sacks. Two weeks later against the Bengals on
Monday Night Football, he had a season-high seven tackles and a sack in the 19–16 road loss. In the next game against the Colts, Donald recorded five tackles and sacked
Anthony Richardson once during the 29–23 overtime road victory. During Week 8 against the Cowboys, Donald had four tackles and two sacks in the 43–20 road loss. In the next game against the Packers, he recorded four tackles and sacked
Jordan Love once during the 20–3 road loss. Following a Week 10 bye, the Rams returned home and faced the Seahawks. Donald finished the narrow 17–16 victory with a tackle and a pass deflection. During a Week 13 36–19 victory over the Browns, Donald recorded five tackles and 0.5 sacks. In the next game against the Ravens, he had a pass deflection during the 37–31 overtime road loss. Three weeks later against the Giants, Donald recorded five tackles, a pass deflection, and sacked
Tyrod Taylor twice in the narrow 26–25 road victory. Donald did not play in the regular season finale against the 49ers as the Rams opted to rest several starters for the playoffs. Donald finished the 2023 season with 53 combined tackles (28 solo), eight sacks, and three pass deflections in 16 games and starts. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the 10th time and first-team All-Pro honors for the eighth time. During the
Wild Card Round against the Lions, Donald had three tackles in the narrow 24–23 road loss.
Retirement On March 15, 2024, Donald announced his retirement on social media. In a July 2024 interview with former
Miami Dolphins linebacker
Channing Crowder, Donald cited feeling more than accomplished in the sport and no longer having the desire or passion to continue the persistent training as reasons for his retirement at age 32. ==Career statistics==