Aaron Donald retired at 32 after a decade of terrorizing NFL offensive lines, and for over a year that felt like the end of the story. Then the Rams traded for Myles Garrett this offseason, and Donald reportedly said the move "for sure got me thinking." Now that thinking has turned into an actual visit to the facility, and the comeback rumors have gone from speculation to something that looks like a real process.
On July 13, Adam Schefter went on the Pat McAfee Show and laid out what actually happened when Donald showed up in Thousand Oaks. It wasn't a tryout or a photo op, according to Schefter, it was Donald wanting to see how his body and his mind reacted to being back in pads.
.@AdamSchefter on Aaron Donald working out with the Rams on Friday: “He wanted to go to the facility, work out see how he felt, see how he reacted… I think it was a trial method to see how his body reacted and how his mind reacted.” (via @PatMcAfeeShow)
That workout set off the internet, including Davante Adams posting a picture of himself with Donald on Instagram, which only added fuel to a rumor mill that already had Donald and Myles Garrett sharing a defensive line in people's heads.
Davante Adams just posted a picture of him and Aaron Donald on his IG…
But the money conversation hasn't even started. Insider PSchrags said on the same Pat McAfee Show swing that the Rams and Donald haven't discussed a contract yet, and that if he does come back, Donald wants to play a full season rather than ease back in.
.@PSchrags on Aaron Donald: "The Rams and Aaron Donald haven't even discussed money yet.. If he comes back he wants to go the full season" (@PatMcAfeeShow)
That full-season appetite is worth pausing on, because it cuts against how a lot of people assumed this would go. Reporting elsewhere has floated a reduced role, something like 12-15 snaps a game in specific spots, as the more realistic path for a 35-year-old three years removed from football. Donald wanting the whole workload suggests he's not interested in a ceremonial farewell lap, he wants to actually play.
Not everyone is convinced the player who shows up would resemble the one who left. ProFootballDoc argued that after this much time away, Donald won't hold up the way he did before, and that Myles Garrett, not Donald, is now the best defensive player on that roster regardless of what happens.
If Aaron Donald returns, don't expect the same player you saw before. After all this time away, he won't be the same over a 17-game season. He'll still flash greatness, but Myles Garrett is the top dog in L.A. now.
None of that skepticism has stopped fans from doing the fun math. If a 35-year-old Donald lines up next to Garrett on a defense that already has Sean McVay's offense humming, the greatest-team-ever talk isn't just Twitter noise, it's a legitimate question the Rams' front office is going to have to grapple with once real numbers get discussed. Whether that's hype or a preview of a genuinely historic roster probably depends on how Donald's body answers the question he just asked it.