Aaron Donald’s shocking retirement a year ago left many wondering whether the Rams could survive without their defensive cornerstone. And for the first half of the season, those concerns seemed justified—Sean McVay’s team struggled defensively and kept piling up losses. But something clicked down the stretch.
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The Rams’ savvy drafting began to pay off, and their young, inexperienced core started to gel into a cohesive unit. Standout rookie Jared Verse led the charge, making it clear that he wants to follow in the footsteps of the legendary three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Though Verse arrived in Los Angeles the same year Donald retired, he never had the chance to share the field with him. However, their connection began earlier—during his college days at Albany, Verse had a brief Zoom call with Donald, thanks to their mutual coach, Greg Gattuso, who made the introduction.
Jared Verse had a meaningful early conversation with the 10-time Pro Bowler over Zoom, but he didn’t get to meet Aaron Donald in person until he arrived in Los Angeles. Their first real-life encounter happened unexpectedly at Nobu, the upscale Japanese restaurant. When Verse spotted the Rams legend across the room, he was instantly starstruck.
“I actually got to meet him in person at Nobu after I got drafted. My financial advisor took me to Nobu, and Aaron Donald happened to be there. My financial advisor, he’s like, you know Aaron Donald’s here and I’m like that’s Aaron Donald, that’s the greatest defense player of all time. I’m starting to geek like a little girl.”
Donald, who was mid-conversation with someone else, soon noticed the rookie staring in admiration and called him over. Verse took a deep breath, steadied himself, and walked over carefully, determined not to say anything awkward or make a bad first impression.
“He sees him and he’s like come here. I had to like take a deep breath and I’m like don’t say dumb sh*t. That was the first time my actually meeting him,” he recalled.
Despite great performances from Jared and his fellow Defenders, they couldn’t go all the way to the Super Bowl or the NFC Game, thanks to the gritty performance from the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Eagles. It has been a few months since that loss, but the Rams Defender still remembers it vividly.
The Eagles’ playoff loss still haunts Jared Verse
Jared Verse will experience many memorable games and tough losses in his career, but one already stands out—a loss he can’t seem to shake. It’s the Rams’ heartbreaking defeat in the divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
That game was arguably the Eagles’ toughest test of the playoffs. The Rams played with grit and arguably outperformed the Chiefs, even giving Philly fans a genuine scare. But a clutch sack by Jalen Carter helped seal the win for the Eagles in a hard-fought battle. For Verse, the loss still stings.
“It crosses my mind about three times a day. I think about how if I did this, or I did that, we could have — if Saquon’s big run to the opposite of the field, if I didn’t hesitate off the bat, I could have caught him … I could have been better. I could have stopped that.”
Another reason this loss lingers for Verse is the backlash he continues to receive from Eagles fans, fueled by his pregame comment that he “hates Philly fans.” When you make a bold statement like that, you’d better be ready to back it up on the field.
Unfortunately for Verse, he couldn’t deliver in that game, and now the moment lives rent-free in his mind. It’s a vivid memory and a tough lesson learned. Hopefully, it pushes him to follow the example of Aaron Donald—letting his game do the talking, not his words.
