Puka Nacua could follow Aaron Donald's retirement plan for Rams

03/24/2025 09:55 PM

Puka Nacua earned the honor to play with Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald for his rookie season. The star wide receiver is considering following Donald’s retirement plan — by retiring early.

Nacua delivered the stirring take on the “Join the Lobby” podcast. The incoming third-year WR sounded serious about his future plan once he hits three decades of living.

“I know I want to retire at the age of 30,” Nacua said on the show. “I’m 23 right now, I’m going into Year 3 — it wouldn’t even be 10 years. It’d be maybe seven or eight.”

He later revealed his teammate of 2023 as the inspiration behind this decision.

“I think of Aaron Donald, to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool,” Nacua said.

Why Puka Nacua is thinking about retirement early with Rams

Donald walked away from the game completing a dominating 10-season run. He earned Pro Bowl honors for every season he played. Donald also claimed three NFL Defensive Player of the Year wins.

Nacua still has the rest of his career ahead of him before his 25th birthday. He’s also got Davante Adams coming in to team alongside him. Both Nacua and Adams will walk into the Rams facility hearing Super Bowl chatter.

But Nacua is thinking about the rest of his life too. Including his big family whom he wants to be around.

“I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them,” Nacua said.

The young WR is looking at the big picture involving his own health and how long he can perform at a high level.

“The injuries are something you can’t control [as] part of the game, so you never know,” Nacua explained. “Hopefully, the rest of the career can go healthy, but you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle. By the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and sustain all the injuries and stuff like that, but I want to retire early.”

Nacua remains on his rookie deal with the Rams from ’23. He has two years left before he’s eligible for free agency in 2027. Or L.A. can attempt to lock him in to an extension — which raises Nacua’s chances to retire as a Ram like Donald.

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