The Los Angeles Rams pulled off one of the biggest shockers of the NFL offseason when they acquired Myles Garrett in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The move gave the Rams arguably the best defensive player in the league alongside a roster that was already among the league's finest.
Then Aaron Donald started texting people.
The list looks clean on paper; the hard part is everything that happens after it is printed.
The texts
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year retired after the 2023 season and has stayed retired since. He said multiple times that he's happily retired — including in May 2025, when he told reporters he no longer had the passion or excitement to play.
But Garrett's arrival in Los Angeles changed things. Donald responded to a text from Pat McAfee on Tuesday about a possible return.
"It for sure got me thinking," Donald wrote, according to McAfee. "35, removed two years ago, got to see if that fire can light back up."
He sent similar messages to three other people over a 24-hour period. The most detailed went to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.
"I'm for sure flirting with the idea," Donald said. "Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it's a possibility."
The Super Bowl will indeed be at SoFi Stadium, where Donald made the game-winning play in Super Bowl LVI, a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The sell
Donald also hinted to former teammate Michael Brockers that he might be thinking about a return. Brockers spent seven seasons with Donald and offered this on the "Locked on Rams" podcast: "My guy is staying ready so he doesn't have to get ready."
LeSean McCoy, who texts with Donald regularly, said on his "Speakeasy" podcast that Donald is "thinking about it." McCoy added that Donald recently beat him in a footrace — so the conditioning appears intact.
Rams coach Sean McVay was asked about the possibility Tuesday. His response was brief but telling: "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."
Cornerback Jaylen Watson, who signed with the Rams in March, already took to social media trying to recruit Donald out of retirement.
Donald turned 35 in November. He's been sharing workout videos since retiring — the most recent one came with a caption that suggested someone who wasn't quite done.