The road to Super Bowl 57, and a shot at a repeat for Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams, will now include two former teammates on the schedule.
In an exclusive interview with Heavy on Rams on Wednesday, August 31, Donald shared his thoughts on seeing two men who helped earn him and the Rams the Vince Lombardi Trophy and what that experience will be like for “A.D.”
Former Ram Returning to L.A., But Will Face Donald & the Champs
Turns out Donald and Sony Michel will be Los Angeles representatives after all in 2022, as the two-time Super Bowl winning running back immediately returned to the City of Angels after his stunning release from the Miami Dolphins.
Except “A.D” and Michel will be on opposite sidelines come New Years Day 2023.
Michel, who was among the released players for the Dolphins on roster deadline day when every team needed to decide on their final 53-man team for opening day, was claimed off waivers by the Chargers on Wednesday morning. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was first to report at 7:54 a.m. Eastern that Michel was on a flight to L.A. to meet with the Bolts.
Rapoport later revealed that Michel and the Chargers agreed to a signing.
From NFL Now: The #Chargers plan to sign RB Sony Michel.
But what’s A.D’s reaction to now facing the running back who helped provide needed depth to the backfield?
“He’s a good football player. He can do a lot of different things. Obviously he’s got a lot of experience being a part of Super Bowl teams. I think he can help them a lot and I wish the best for him and continued success. Just not too much success when they play us,” Donald said laughing.
The meeting with Michel and other past Rams Brandon Staley and Sebastian Joseph-Day will be the final contest for both teams at SoFi Stadium for the 2022 season. But the season will soon kickoff with a man Donald still thinks highly of on the other sideline.
Donald’s Thoughts on Von Miller Returning to the ‘Rams House’
One week from now, the Rams will welcome the Buffalo Bills to start the NFL season and several eyes will be fixated on No. 40 on the Bills — better known as two-time Super Bowl winner Von Miller.
Donald admitted to Heavy he was mad to lose a talent like Miller, yet understood why Miller opted to trek to the Bills.
“I ain’t going to lie, when the situation happened I was mad at Von,” Donald said laughing. “But we ended up linking [after the signing] and we talked for about an hour and he broke down with where his mind was at and the situation he chose.”
Donald adds he remains close to the man he won his first Super Bowl with and absorbed a lot from.
“That’s my guy,” Donald said. “I can never be too mad at Von. Having an opportunity to work with him and get to learn from him, he helped me a lot with my leadership role in being more of a vocal guy at times. He helped us get over that hurdle when we needed to in that Super Bowl. I’m forever grateful for Von. He knows it’s forever love with him. That’s my brother for life. I wish nothing but the best for him but again, just not in week one.”
Donald’s interview with Heavy was through his partnership with Dr. Teals. He’s partnered with the company “for the past few years” and uses the pure Epsom salt for baths multiple times each week for muscle recovery after workouts and games.
“It’s something that I love to use weekly. It’s on my regimen I use for up to 3 to 5 times a week to help my body to recover, get the aches and pains and perform at a high level come game time,” Donald said.
More information on Dr. Teals can be found here.
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Aaron Donald Reacts to Facing 2 Ex-Rams This Fall: Exclusive