Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons in March, news that was surprising to just about everyone except the Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay had a feeling 2023 would be his final year and Donald indicated when he signed his extension in 2022 that he’d only play two more seasons.
All indications are that Donald plans to stay retired despite the fact that he hasn’t officially been placed on the retired list, so fans holding their breath for a return should probably let go of that hope.
That being said, Rams general manager Les Snead isn’t completely ruling out the possibility of Donald coming back for a playoff run like Eric Weddle did.
“All football players think about that moment. Now it’s time to take a little time away and figure out, OK, is it time to say goodbye?” Snead said on the “Rich Eisen Show.” “And I do know at some point into the offseason, he did sit with Sean and say, ‘My cup is full’ basically. ‘I’ve had enough, I’ve had a fulfilling career and it’s time to step off stage.’”
💻 Les Snead
Did the @RamsNFL general manager just drop a major breadcrumb about what could possible happen (and who could possibly return) during the 2024 season???#NFL #NFLDraft @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/tsvASOAFUt
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 2, 2024
Eisen asked Snead if he left open the possibility of Donald coming back when the two talked before the retirement announcement, and he did let Aaron know he’d be welcomed back if that’s something he wanted to do.
He just doubts that Donald would take him up on that offer.
“I did mention to Aaron that going back to our Super Bowl run, there was a player by the name of Eric Weddle, who kind of jumped into the playoffs and we signed him to the practice squad,” Snead said. “And we elevated him for four straight games to a Super Bowl championship. So I did mention if we happen to get to the playoffs again, maybe we’ll circle back and see if the cups not quite filled. But that’s just rumor. I doubt Aaron’s going to do that.”
One reason Donald probably won’t return? Snead doubts he would feel comfortable skipping the entire regular season just to come back for the playoffs.
“Aaron’s one of those guys where he’s so principle, he might feel uncomfortable that, ‘You know what, I didn’t go through those other 18 (weeks) with the guys, I’m not sure I can go through the playoffs with them.’ Not sure, we might tempt him. No breaking news here,” Snead said.
In the words of Lloyd Christmas: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”
