One of the most surprising trades in NFL history appears to be leading a retired former star to consider returning to the field. On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams sent former Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
In the immediate aftermath of the move, fans and NFL pundits alike began clamoring for retired Rams star Aaron Donald to reconsider his career and come back to the team. But this time, Donald has not entirely dismissed the idea as he has in the past. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Donald texted him, 'I'm for sure flirting with the idea. Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi [Stadium] this year. If I can find the fire, it's a possibility.'
It's a similar conversation Donald had with fellow Pittsburgh native and former NFL star Pat McAfee. The former punter says Donald texted him to say the Garrett trade 'for sure got me thinking about a return.' While discussions with media are one thing, it's worth noting that Rams head coach Sean McVay didn't outright deny the possibility of Donald's return.
'Aaron is a guy that I stay really close in touch with, and I know the respect that he has for Myles,' McVay said. 'Talked to him about the opportunity to be able to bring (Garrett) on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.'
After the trade was confirmed, fans instantly speculated about Donald's un-retirement to make a run at another ring. This speculation hasn't been lost on Donald's family. His wife, Erica, posted a tweet, saying, 'Y'all are hilarious.' Part of the speculation stemmed from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter posting a mocked-up photo of Garrett standing next to Donald as they both wore Rams uniforms with the caption, 'Next in line in LA.' Many interpreted this as a sign that Donald — a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Pro, and Super Bowl LVI champion — would return to the field once again.
Despite being out of the game since 2023, calls for the 35-year-old to hit the field again popped up after the trade. This led to plenty of comments on X, such as, 'All fun and games until AD comes out of retirement and they go 20-0.' One user posted, 'The odds of Aaron Donald coming out of retirement for this is not 0%.' '@AaronDonald97 come back and get that 2nd ring,' read one comment. 'I know Aaron Donald just dropped that fridge he was bench pressing to pick up that phone,' read another comment that referenced the former star's insane workout videos. Another tweet said, 'Aaron Donald owes it to science to unretire and line up next to Myles Garrett just to see what would happen.' 'McVay gotta throw a Hail Mary and text Aaron Donald that [side eye] emoji and see what he says,' read another tweet.
While social media may wish for such a move, all signs are pointing to Donald being content with his decision to hang up the pads. 'For me, retirement's been pretty good, right? Because I left on my own terms when I wanted to,' Donald told the Daily Mail in Los Angeles last year. 'Obviously, there's been a few NFL players that reached out to me to try to recruit me on their team, but my football days are done and passed me, and it's onto the next chapter of life for me,' he said. Donald declined to name names, adding 'There's been at least four guys that reached out through social media in my DM saying, 'Hey, I see you're working out, big dog. Let's try and get this ring.' I'm like, 'My days is over, so I'm done.''
