Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua appears to have his NFL career planned well in advance, with a somewhat surprising end point.
In an appearance on the “Join The Lobby” podcast, Nacua revealed that he wants to retire at the age of 30. The wide receiver cited Aaron Donald’s early retirement as inspiration, and added that he wants to be healthy enough to play with his kids after he stops playing in the league.
“I know I want to retire at the age of 30. I’m 23 right now, going into year three,” Nacua said (1:18:43 into the video). “I think of Aaron Donald. To go out at the top, I think it would be super cool, but also, I want to have a big family. I want to have at least a starting five. I came from a big family. I need five boys. 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 that you can’t control. Hopefully the rest of the career will go healthy, but if you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle (surgery), by the time my kids are 18, I could be barely walking. I want to retire early.”
As Nacua alluded to, he turns 24 in May, so there is plenty left of his NFL career even if he sticks to this plan. The young wide receiver could obviously change his mind as he gets closer to his 30th birthday, but he has clearly given this some thought already.
Donald retired at 32, though he had contemplated calling it a career even sooner than that. He was also able to quit immediately after a Super Bowl win. Nacua may not get that luxury, though he makes it sound like a bonus and not a necessity.
For now, Nacua appears to be on track to stardom. He set an NFL rookie record in 2023 with 1,486 receiving yards, and only injuries prevented him from posting similar stats in 2024. With Cooper Kupp departing this offseason, he will be a clear No. 1 for the Rams in 2025, even after they brought in Davante Adams. Nacua is clearly on board with that move, too.
