An “invisible deadline” does not exist for former star defensive tackle Aaron Donald to decide whether he will come out of retirement and rejoin the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Sean McVay said.
That said, McVay said he hopes Donald makes a decision “sooner than later.”
“He’s put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no,” McVay told the Los Angeles Times after the Rams’ 20-12 preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. “I think he’s earned that right to have clarity on that. We’re not at that point quite yet.”
Donald, 35, spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Rams before retiring in March 2024. He joined the team for a workout on Aug. 5 as he mulls a return to the gridiron. His interest grew after the Rams acquired star defensive end Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in the offseason in a deal that involved Jared Verse, the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“We have some loose things where we’ve identified, you know, dates that we’d like to be able to hit,” McVay told the Times. “But what I don’t want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him if there’s some unforeseen circumstances.”
McVay added that he’s not intending to put any pressure on Donald due to roster limits.
“(I don’t want to) put some sort of invisible deadline on something that doesn’t exist in my mind,” he said.
A nearly certain Pro Football Hall of Fame selection when his eligibility arrives (five years post-retirement), Donald had 111 career sacks, 543 tackles, 24 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 154 career games (150 starts) with the Rams.
Donald informed Garrett he seriously was considering rejoining the team after sitting out the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He’s officially on the NFL’s retired list but can apply for reinstatement with the league office. It’s likely the NFL would grant the Rams an exception for their training camp roster until Donald is ready to be activated.
Garrett, 30, is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 last season. He has 125.5 career sacks in nine seasons.