PITTSBURGH — Aaron Donald finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a topic of conversation for months now. With the Los Angeles Rams still trying to find out if they’re a playoff team or not, rumors sparked that they could look to get rid of their All-Pro defensive tackle.

And, of course, his hometown team the Steelers were the first option when discussing a trade. Well, those conversations can now be put to bed. The Rams Pro Bowler spoke about facing Pittsburgh this weekend, and was asked about potentially finishing his career there. His answer, well, wasn’t what some fans hoped for.

“Not really, no,” Donald said when asked if he thought about retiring a Steeler. “I never thought of it. I never thought about it.”

At this point in his career, Donald doesn’t even view Pittsburgh as an exciting matchup where he faces his hometown team. After several meetings throughout his tenure with the Rams, this week just feels like another game.

“My first year (in 2015), I was excited about it,” Donald said. “Obviously, going back to Pittsburgh (in 2019), it was exciting. Now, it’s cool to play against the team that I grew up watching and all that, but it’s just another week. Want to find a way to be successful. … I still consider myself a Steelers fan until we’ve got to play them, and I still look to see if they’re doing good.”

If Donald does hit the trade block at any point this season, of course, the Steelers will be brought back up. But for now, the pipeline dream of the Pitt native returning home to dawn the black and gold isn’t likely to happen.

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