Aaron Donald
Awards & Honours
10
Awards Won
5
Honours
5
Rankings
5
Covers
4
Records
Aaron Donald's trophy case is as heavy as his game. He is one of just three players ever to win three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, and the only defensive tackle to achieve that. His eight first-team All-Pro selections tie the record for the most by any defensive player in the Super Bowl era. In 2018, he set the single-season sack record for an interior lineman with 20.5, a mark that still stands. He was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team after only six seasons, a testament to his immediate and sustained dominance. At retirement, he held the career sack record for defensive tackles with 111, a number that may never be caught.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Named one of the 100 greatest players in NFL history.
Key to the City of Pittsburgh
Awarded by Mayor Ed Gainey following his retirement.
University of Pittsburgh Athletics Hall of Fame
Inducted for his college football career.
Pittsburgh Sports Hall of Fame
Inducted for his contributions to Pittsburgh sports.
Guinness World Record: Most quarterback sacks by a defensive tackle in a single NFL season
20.5 sacks in the 2018 season.
Rankings & Lists
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Top 100 NFL Players of All Time
50 Greatest NFL Players
NFL 100
Highest-Graded Interior Defensive Lineman (Career)
Magazine Covers
Sports Illustrated
September 2018
The Most Dominant Player in Football: Aaron Donald
ESPN The Magazine
October 2018
The 99.7: Inside Aaron Donald's Perfect Season
Sports Illustrated
February 2022
Super Bowl LVI Preview (with Matthew Stafford)
GQ
September 2022
The Quiet Dominance of Aaron Donald
The Players' Tribune
March 2024
Thank You, Football
Records & Feats
Most sacks by a defensive tackle in NFL history (career)
Finished with 111 regular-season sacks, surpassing Warren Sapp's 96.5.
Most sacks by a defensive tackle in a single season
Recorded 20.5 sacks in 2018, the most ever by an interior defensive lineman.
Most NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards (tied)
Won three DPOY awards (2017, 2018, 2020), tying Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt.
Highest single-season PFF grade ever
Earned a 99.7 Pro Football Focus grade in 2018, the highest ever for any player.