As the Rams sat in the locker room after their wild-card round loss to the Detroit Lions, rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner sat, feeling dejected after the disappointing playoff exit. But Aaron Donald approached, smiling.

“He’s like, ‘Y’all got a lot of great football left to play,’” Turner recalls. “That was one of the moments where it really hit.”

Turner knew then what the rest of the world found out two months later: Donald, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and future Hall of Famer, had played his last football game. In March, Donald announced his retirement, plunging the Rams head-first into a new era.

Many of the leaders remain the same. Head coach Sean McVay enters his eighth season with the team. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp lead the offense, while young players like Turner, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams look to build upon breakout seasons.