Puka Nacua enjoyed a stellar rookie season, and he followed it up with a strong campaign in 2024. The Rams wideout is positioned to operate as a foundational member of the team’s offense for the foreseeable future, but he recently provided insight on how long he intends to play in the NFL. 
“I know I want to retire at the age of 30,” Nacua said during an appearance on the Join the Lobby podcast (video link). “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. I think of Aaron Donald, to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool.”
Donald retired last spring at the age of 32. The future Hall of Famer had already won a Super Bowl along with three Defensive Player of the Year awards by that point, leaving him with little more to accomplish in the NFL. Donald’s success also made him one of the league’s all-time leaders in terms of career earnings, a list Nacua is obviously a long way from joining. The latter has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
Selected in the fifth round in 2023, Nacua set new NFL records for receptions (105) and yards (1,486) by a rookie receiver. He was limited to 11 games this past season, but he averaged 90 yards per contest, a slight increase in his output compared to his rookie campaign. The BYU product has seen Cooper Kupp released this offseason with the Rams bringing in Davante Adams as a replacement.
That will give Los Angeles a different look in the passing game, but Nacua will still be counted on to play a major role in the team’s offense. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is in the fold for at least one more season, so expectations will remain high for the unit. Nacua could play his way into a lucrative extension as early as next offseason, but his second contract could prove to be his sole lucrative deal if he holds firm on his career plans.
“The injuries are something you can’t control [as] part of the game, so you never know,” Nacua added. “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.”
For the time being, Nacua should be able to enjoy a highly productive career as long as he remains healthy moving forward. Even if that takes place, though, his tenure with the Rams could prove to be relatively short-lived.