Andrew Whitworth spent five seasons protecting Aaron Donald in practice. He knows what it looks like when that guy flips the switch. And the idea of Donald lining up next to Myles Garrett? That’s not just a headline. Whitworth called it something else entirely.
“Scary,” Whitworth told Casino.ca. “Listen, if Aaron Donald makes that decision, I know it’s going to be from a place of his heart is in it, and at that point it becomes scary.”
The Rams just pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason, landing Garrett from Cleveland. That alone reshapes their defense. But the rumor mill has churned for months about Donald potentially unretiring at 35. And the two guys who anchored the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win have reportedly been talking.
Whitworth said he’s been trying to get a straight percentage out of Donald for weeks. No luck.
“I’ve been trying to get him to give me a percentage for about two weeks now,” Whitworth said. “I just want him to give me something I can get excited about. He won’t do it. He’s holding out the information on me.”
That sounds like a guy who’s at least entertaining the idea. Donald has always been private about his process. He retired after the 2023 season, walked away while still playing at an absurdly high level. But the Rams have kept the door open. General manager Les Snead has repeatedly said he’d never rule out a return.
Whitworth, who retired after the 2022 season, said Donald still trains like he’s playing. That matters.
“I think for him, he’s a guy, he’s like me. I work out probably more now than I did when I played, and so I think AD still trains a ton,” Whitworth said.
The question isn’t whether Donald can still play. It’s whether he wants to go through another training camp, another 17-game grind, another playoff run. The physical part, according to Whitworth, is the easy part for someone like Donald. It’s the mental commitment that decides everything.
“Having the potential to do it and the opportunity to do it, that’s the easy part for that guy. It’s whether he wants to. He’s one of the rarest humans I’ve ever been around. Not just physically, just in general. How he works and his determination is one of one. If he decides it’s go time, watch out.”
The Rams have Garrett under contract now for the foreseeable future. They’ve got young players developing on offense. The NFC West is wide open. Adding Donald to that mix would make Los Angeles a legitimate Super Bowl contender overnight.
But Donald has given no public indication he’s coming back. He hasn’t filed paperwork for reinstatement. The team has not confirmed any conversations about a return. Whitworth’s comments are the most specific insight anyone has offered — and even he can’t get a straight answer.
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