Aaron Donald is a lock to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2029 as a first-ballot selection, retiring from the NFL as one of the greatest defenders the league has ever seen. In Jason Kelce’s mind, Donald is the best defender of his generation.
Kelce talked about Donald’s sheer dominance on the “New Heights” podcast, saying he’s the only player the Eagles ever faced that the entire game plan was centered around. He’s never faced another player that commanded the attention that Donald did, which is why Donald never had a sack against the Eagles.
They doubled and tripled him in every game and on most of Donald’s snaps, no matter what the play was.
“I gotta set this record straight because I see a lot of people on social media, as they list all of Aaron’s sacks against quarterbacks, people are like, ‘Never had a sack against the Eagles. Oh, the Eagles had your number.’ We double-teamed him and triple-teamed him every single game, all right?” Kelce said. “He is the only defensive tackle we have ever gone up against where the entire game plan is situated on not having him ruin the game. The only one.”
“I don’t care if it was a five-down front. I don’t care if there’s a blitz happening over there. We are double-teaming Aaron Donald. that’s the way we played him. there was not another player that was treated in that right. Not a defensive end. Not a defensive tackle.”
“I’m telling you right now. This guy should’ve had better numbers. … In my mind, he’s the best defensive player, and I don’t know that it’s particularly close over the last decade.”
The guys took some time to reminisce on the greatness of Aaron Donald pic.twitter.com/SfsCHEfUYh
— New Heights (@newheightshow) March 20, 2024
Kelce, who came into the NFL in 2011, three years before Donald, says the former Rams superstar is the best defensive player he’s ever seen during his era, and he went up against a lot of good ones.
“I don’t like comparing across generations. I think it’s too hard. … I know this. He’s the G.O.A.T. from when I was in the league. I firmly believe that,” he said.