LOS ANGELES — Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua wants to retire at 30, he told the “Join the Lobby” podcast.
“I know I want to retire at the age of 30,” Nacua said. “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, the former Rams defensive tackle, retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons and is a future Hall of Famer. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl champion, Donald said at the time of his retirement that his NFL career felt “complete.”
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Nacua — who has five siblings — also noted that he hopes to have “a big family,” saying, “I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them.”
“The injuries are something you can’t control [as] part of the game, so you never know,” Nacua said. “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.”
During the 2023 season, Nacua set NFL records for the most receiving yards and receptions by a rookie. Last season, Nacua led the Rams with 79 catches for 990 yards and three touchdowns. He played in 11 regular-season games, missing five because of a knee injury and the season finale for rest.
