Sean McVay has heard all the noise. For months, whispers have grown louder that Aaron Donald might actually un-retire and rejoin the Los Angeles Rams. And after the Rams added Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie this offseason, the idea of Donald walking back into that locker room sounds less like a rumor and more like a fever dream for defensive coordinators across the league.
So when Kay Adams asked McVay flat-out whether the Rams need Donald this season, the coach didn’t bite. Not exactly.
“Aaron doesn’t owe us anything, and I think that’s important,” McVay said, via Up & Adams. “Aaron has done so much for this organization, for me, for everybody that he’s come in contact with. If Aaron has the desire to do it… he’s earned that right… what I don’t ever want to have misunderstood is the confidence I have in the guys who are on this team right now even without him.”
That’s a careful answer from a guy who knows the press conference audio is getting clipped onto every sports radio show in the country. McVay didn’t say no. He didn’t say yes. He basically said: Donald can do whatever he wants, and I’m also fine if he doesn’t.
Rams don’t look like a team that’s desperate
The thing is, the Rams already look stacked. Garrett came over in a massive trade that shook up the NFC. McDuffie arrived via a separate deal. The secondary has depth. The front seven suddenly looks like a headache for opposing offensive lines. This isn’t a team begging for help. They’re the current Super Bowl favorite in a lot of betting markets, with or without Donald.
But Donald is Donald. He’s a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who walked away two years ago at what felt like the top of his game. He’s been working out. He’s been seen around the facility. The Rams have not shut down the idea. Which means the door is still open.
What would Donald even look like after two years off?
Nobody really knows. Two years is a long time in the NFL. Legs get a little slower. Hands get a little less violent. But Donald was never a normal athlete. If he comes back at even 80 percent of his old self, he’d still be one of the better interior pass rushers in the league. And pairing him with Garrett on the same defensive line? That’s the kind of thing that gets offensive coordinators fired before November.
Training camp is underway. The Rams open the season September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. That’s less than two months away. If Donald is going to make a decision, it probably has to happen soon. McVay is playing it cool. But you can bet he’s already thought about what it looks like to have No. 99 lining up next to No. 55.
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