More than two months have passed since speculation began that Aaron Donald might come out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Rams this season, and a decision could come at any point now. The Rams held their final practice at Loyola Marymount on August 7, the date McVay had previously identified as the threshold before any decision on Donald's future would be made.
The rumors started in June after the Rams completed a trade to acquire Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Less than 24 hours after that deal was announced, the Donald speculation began. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year had a chance to shut it down but did not. On June 2, Donald admitted he was weighing a possible comeback.
"I'm for sure flirting with the idea," Donald told Jordan Schultz. "Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it's a possibility."
The chatter went quiet for nearly a month after that comment, then returned sharply on July 10 when TMZ published video of Donald working out at the Rams' facility in Woodland Hills. The footage significantly raised speculation that he was planning a return after two years away. At the start of training camp, McVay acknowledged the TMZ footage with a joke when asked whether Donald might work out at the team's Woodland Hills facility while the team trained at Loyola Marymount. "There's nobody at the Rams facility right now, but maybe TMZ knows the answer to that," McVay said.
The clearest signal yet came July 31, when McVay spoke after the team's first fully padded practice of camp. He said the possibility of a Donald return was "trending upwards" and offered the first concrete hint about timing. McVay made clear that no decision would come while the Rams remained at Loyola Marymount. "Once we get back to Woodland Hills, we'll have a better idea of what that timeline looks like," McVay said. "There won't be any decision and anything in terms of Aaron's situation while we're here. That's kind of already been set out when we've talked for the past couple weeks."
With the team's final practice at LMU falling on August 7, the window for a formal announcement is now open. Donald, a CBS Sports report noted, has been out of the league since retiring two years ago.
The Rams enter the season with significant expectations. The Super Bowl is scheduled to be held at SoFi Stadium, the team's home venue, which Donald himself cited as part of the appeal of a return.
