The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 in their preseason opener Saturday, but the bigger story afterward had nothing to do with the final score. Coach Sean McVay was asked about the possibility of retired defensive tackle Aaron Donald returning to the team, and he made clear that no decision is imminent.
"We've had great dialogue," McVay said. "It's going to be on his timeline. And when he feels good about having clarity, whether that's a 'yes' or whether that ends up being a 'no.' We've had some tentative discussions behind the scenes, there's a lot of stuff, without getting too granular with it and just out of respect for the dialogue he and I have."
Donald, widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, retired after the 2023 season. Speculation about a return to Los Angeles has followed the Rams into training camp and now into the preseason. McVay has not tried to hide his interest in bringing Donald back, but he stopped well short of predicting it would happen.
According to Yahoo Sports, McVay elaborated on what a potential return would require from Donald personally. "If Aaron does decide he wants to do it, I've been very open that we want to try to be able to explore that opportunity," McVay said. "But I think he has kind of earned the right to be able to say, he knows himself in terms of, 'Am I able to stack back-to-back days? Am I able to do some of the different things?'"
McVay also pushed back on the idea of forcing any kind of deadline. "What I don't want to sit here and do is put a timeline on it and then something comes up where I've got to kind of push it back," he said. "But what I don't want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him if there's some unforeseen circumstances. I feel great about our football team as it currently stands, and I know he'll add value if he decides to come."
On the field Saturday, the Rams defense held up reasonably well against Kansas City. The unit allowed only four field goals and no touchdowns. Chiefs quarterbacks were held to under six yards per attempt, and Kansas City running backs averaged under 3.9 yards per carry. The performance came without star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who did not play in the exhibition.
The defensive front does not yet include Donald, but the performance gave the coaching staff something to build on heading into the regular season. Whether Donald eventually joins that group remains an open question, and McVay gave no indication that a resolution is close.
