Aaron Donald sent a letter to the Los Angeles Rams in early May informing them of his decision to retire.

The letter, which has been an unreported secret since it was sent, was on Athletes First letterhead and addressed to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Simply, it stated that Donald had informed the Rams he was retiring effective on May 9. It came with instructions to send it in to the league office.

The letter, however, was never sent.

By that point in May, contract talks between Donald and the Rams had stalled. Donald had three years remaining on his six-year, $136 million extension. Donald pushed for a large raise but no new years on his deal, which had never happened for a defensive player.

The Rams and Donald quickly agreed to a $40 million raise over three years without adding new years, meaning he would earn $95 million over three years.