The Los Angeles Rams saw one of its greatest players in franchise history ride off into the sunset this offseason with Aaron Donald announcing his retirement. While L.A. will begin the season without its generational defensive lineman, his departure from the NFL may not be as concrete as initially assumed. Or that's what the Rams are hoping for at least.
During an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," Rams general manager Les Snead discussed Donald's retirement and noted that the veteran's "cup was full" by the end of the year, so there were signs that he'd be calling it a career. That said, Snead also opened the door for the possibility of the franchise reaching out to Donald to see if he'd join the team late in the year for a playoff run. This type of maneuver wouldn't be unprecedented for Los Angeles as it did bring safety Eric Weddle out of retirement for its run to Super Bowl LVI.
"I did mention to Aaron that going back to our Super Bowl run, that there was a player by the name of Eric Weddle who kind of jumped into the playoffs," Snead said. "We signed him to the practice squad and we standard 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 cup's not quite filled."
While the team may try to lure Donald out of retirement, Snead wasn't exactly sure he'd be successful if/when he approaches him.
"But that's just a rumor," Snead said. "I doubt Aaron's going to do that. Aaron's one of those guys where he's so principled, he might feel uncomfortable that, 'You know what, I didn't go through those other 18 [games] 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."
So, you're telling me there's a chance?
Donald being injected back into a Rams defense for a playoff run would certainly help tip the scales in their favor as they search for a second Super Bowl title under Sean McVay. While it remains to be seen if they'll ask Donald to return and whether or not he'd actually accept, the Rams did a solid job in trying to replace some of his production in the NFL Draft by bringing aboard edge rusher Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the first two rounds.
