43. Aaron Donald
Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL for several seasons. T.J. Watt is the only man who has come close to the Rams star. Donald helped his franchise win a Super Bowl in 2022. Then he entered a contract impasse with the champions.

However, Donald had the perfect trump card. He said that if the Rams weren’t prepared to pay him properly he’d retire. It’s difficult to argue with that because Donald was content to walk away. But he would have left his teammates high and dry with a gaping hole in the roster (via Sporting News).