Aaron Donald Talks G.O.A.T. Candidacy, 'I Was Pretty Damn Good'

Those ready to name A.D. the G.O.A.T. are in luck ... Aaron Donald spoke to TMZ Sports this week about his "best ever" candidacy -- and he made it clear, he's not going to fight anyone who wants to give him the label.

Donald, of course, retired from the NFL last year, and ever since he hung up his spikes ... fans have wondered if he has a legit claim to the title of greatest defensive player ever.

He did, after all, earn 10 Pro Bowl selections in 10 seasons ... and won a Super Bowl too. But with guys like Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White having pretty good resumes as well, we had to ask Donald while he was out at Raising Cane's event in Los Angeles on Tuesday what he thought of the chatter.

And, check out our interview -- while he didn't want to formally crown himself, it sure seems he thinks he has a really good chance.

"It's too many greats," he said. "It's too many different eras. Different times. The game changes all the time. But I think in the era when I played, I was pretty damn good. I held my own."

G.O.A.T. label or not, Donald's still working in retirement -- in addition to helping those in need through his AD99 Foundation, he's also trying to get an acting career off the ground.

He actually said he's taken some lessons -- and has even had a few auditions.