After the Rams traded for defensive end Myles Garrett, a recent workout video posted by retired Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald sparked speculation that he’d end a two-year retirement and return to the NFL.
Pat McAfee texted Donald to take his temperature. Said Donald, per McAfee, “It for sure got me thinking.”
Thinking and doing are two different things. Added Donald, “Thirty-five, removed two years ago, gotta see if that fire can light back up.”
Based on the video of Donald doing his thing, he won’t have to rub the sticks together for very long. Throw in the fact that Garrett will command the kind of attention Donald used to get all the time, and Donald could welcome the chance to face something other than triple-team blocks on every single snap.
Donald is on the Rams reserve/retired list. It would be easy to return. His 2024 salary would be reinstated. (He’d possibly want an adjustment.)
The Rams would have to want it, too. That’s the far easier part of this. Of course they’d want him back.
When Donald retired, his explanation to coach Sean McVay was, “I’m full.” Donald explained in a video posted at the time he walked away that he was burned out.
So, yes, it’s possible the fire will return. And the prospect of playing with Myles Garrett could be that splash of lighter fluid on the glowing embers at the bottom of a pile of charcoal.
