Seattle Seahawks waive German LB Aaron Donkor

With all 32 NFL teams in the process of trimming their rosters to get ready for the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks announced the release of German linebacker Aaron Donkor.

By Tuesday’s deadline of 4 pm Eastern, NFL rosters must be cut down to 53 players with the start of the 2022-2023 regular season set for September 9. One of the casualties was Donkor, a product of the NFL International Player Pathway program. However, since the Seahawks received another roster exemption for Donkor this season, he will not count against the 16-man practice squad for the second straight year which means he is allowed to stay and practice with the team.

Donkor, who joined the team through the IPP in 2021, appeared in one preseason game before being sidelined by a hamstring injury. Although he didn’t see any game action in 2021, head coach Pete Carroll kept him because he was a “pain in the butt” with his intensity and competitiveness during practice.

The 6’2″, 240 pound, 25 year old who ran a 4.46 40-yard dash to qualify for the IPP, had spent the 2019 season playing NCAA D1 football at Arkansas State where he collected 25 tackles in only six games for the Red Wolves. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic prevented him from playing any more college football.

Before moving to the States, Donkor grew up playing basketball in Göttingen, Germany before moving to Aachen to train with his mentor Chris Mohr. In 2016, at the late age of 21, the basketball player opted for the gridiron joining the Düsseldorf Panther football club of the German Football League. It’s safe to say it didn’t take him long to adjust to the new sport. In his first year of football, Donkor led the German Football League with 14 sacks, while totally 74 tackles, and 20 tackles for a loss.

The Seahawks open their 2022-2023 season on September 12 when they host the Denver Broncos.