“He’s in my eyes the best of all time, so I’m definitely glad that he’s not going to be out there on Sunday for sure.” Cardinals QB Kyler Murray didn’t even try to hide his relief when he found out he wouldn’t have to face Aaron Donald. Yeah, you guessed that right. Because Donald hung up his cleats in the 2024 offseason. And let’s be real—game planning against him was a total nightmare for the opposition.
Standing at 6’1” and weighing nearly 280 pounds, and played for a decade in pro football, Donald was arguably one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Offensive linemen? They needed three guys just to slow him down. Even the Rams‘ players knew that going one-on-one with him in practice wasn’t a good idea. And in the gym? Well, ask the QB, Matthew Stafford and he’ll call him a maniac in the weight room—all while sharing an insane story of his workout.
On Wednesday, Stafford, who’s now ready to play his next season with the Rams, made a guest appearance on the New Heights Podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. Out of curiosity, Jason asked, “You played with two of the best D-tackles in this decade-plus of football: Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Who frightened you as a quarterback?” No, I am not making that up. He literally asked that.
In response, Stafford first admitted that he played more games against Donald than Suh. Then he confessed that the former Rams‘ DT wrecked practices and he was totally different. And then he talked about his intense workout while sharing a crazy anecdote starring Aaron Donald, the QB himself, and a make-a-wish kid. “He’s like a maniac in the weight room, right? And I will never forget this was 21 or 22 maybe. We had like a make-a-wish kid who had like a year before had been like, ‘hey, I want to, my dream is to go like be with Aaron Donald for a day’ kinda thing,” he started.
“And thankfully, this kid at that point had kind of beaten the odds and had beaten the cancer that he had…Like he came in and you are like, ‘oh man, this guy’s like doing good,’ right? High school kid, like the bigger kid, like, I love to play football and AD (Aaron Donald) was like, cool, come work out with me.” And can you blame him. I mean, how could Donald ignore the wish of that kid, right? However, the ex-Rams’ DT never knew what lied ahead.
“And I’m like, I am walking by, and I’m like, ‘yo, what is about to go down?’ And I look over and I’m like, I’m over there doing like banded something and like 30 minutes and 80s just ripping the curls out and this and this,” he continued. “Next thing you know, this kid is puking in the trash can.” Not the kind of wish the kid hoped for. Even the Kelce brothers couldn’t help themselves but laughed out loud. And Travis? Well, he was calculating how many bicep curls he needed to do before he threw up.
“God, we just relax on the bicep curls for a little bit,” he said. “It’s like, how many do we do till we throw up, you know?” And just like that, Aaron Donald fulfilled the wish of that kid. Sadly, it didn’t end in a way that the kid expected.
As for Matthew Stafford, the veteran QB is now gearing up to play his next season with the Rams after weeks of trade speculations and a tough negotiation situation.
Matthew Stafford almost had a little déjà vu
A few weeks ago, it felt like Matthew Stafford was already halfway out the door, just waiting to book his next flight out of LA. Where to? Who knows—New York, Vegas, or anywhere desperate for a QB. However, the QB and the Rams finally agreed on a contract and now Stafford is staying put with the Rams. BUT! If you’re thinking that the 37-year-old veteran had an easy negotiation with the team—think again.
Because let’s be real—the guy already transitioned from spending over a decade with the Lions. And now? Yeah, he definitely doesn’t want to repeat the same thing, especially now he’s a dad of four little girls. That said, during his guest appearance at the New Height Podcast, Jason Kelce asked “What was ultimately the deciding factor to come back and reside with LA?” In response, the QB admitted his biggest fear—where he’s going to end up.
“I remember when I was getting traded from Detroit to LA, really a couple of weeks before that, you know, I’d made it known that I wanted to be traded from Detroit,” he said. “And I can’t tell you how much I spent on Zillow at that point looking at houses in Indy in there and all those places back then, right? So you’re just like, and I am sitting there going, man, where am I going to be? Where are my kids going to school, all that kind of stuff?” Stafford spent most of his pro football career in Detroit.
Jan 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops to throw during the first half of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
However, after playing 12 seasons with the Lions, the guy requested a trade. And just like that, Stafford landed in LA and let’s just say it was the best decision for both Stafford and the team. The reason? Oh, y’all probably know about that considering the guy won the Super Bowl in his first year at LA. However, after that playoff loss earlier this year, the rumors started flying—was Stafford about to split with the Rams in 2025?
But nope, he knew that the team wanted him back and he also wanted to play a couple of seasons with the Rams as well. “But I think in the end, I know that they wanted me back. I wanted to be back. We just had to kind of figure that out and get to that point we did. And I am sure so happy that, you know, I am going to be here for at least another year and hopefully some after that,” he further added.
Though his latest contract terms are not official yet, but one thing’s certain: Matthew Stafford is going to play the 2025 season with the Rams. And if he pulls off another Lombardi next season, that’s just the cherry on top.
The post Travis Kelce Stunned by Matthew Stafford’s Shocking Aaron Donald Story of Forcing Make-a-Wish Kid to Throw Up appeared first on EssentiallySports.
