Aaron Donald is not retired anymore. He is “flirting.” That is his word, and it is the most interesting thing he has said in two years.
The Rams traded for Myles Garrett, and the moment that news hit, the football world looked sideways at Donald. Pat McAfee texted him asking if it got him thinking. Donald wrote back: “It for sure got me thinking.” Then he sent another note that should make every NFC West offensive line nervous. “35, removed two years ago, gotta see if that fire can light back up.”
Jordan Schultz got an even more direct quote. Donald told him, “I’m for sure flirting with the idea.” Flirting is not a contract. Flirting is the door cracking open.
Here is what nobody wants to say out loud. Aaron Donald did not retire because he could not play anymore. He retired because his Rams team was sliding and the grind was not worth it without a real shot at another ring. Then Les Snead went and got Myles Garrett, and suddenly that grind has a payoff again.
Picture the math. Donald on one side, Garrett on the other. Offensive coordinators getting paid a million a year to figure out who to double, and the answer is “yes.” That is the kind of front that turns a 9-win team into a problem nobody wants in January.
Sean McVay said the quiet part out loud already. If Donald wants to come back, the Rams want him. That is not a coach being polite. That is a coach who knows what one of the greatest defensive players ever still has in the tank at 35.
The Rams need this. The NFC is a meat grinder. The Eagles still have weapons. The 49ers will reload. The Cowboys are always one play away from chaos. Adding peak-or-near-peak Aaron Donald next to Myles Garrett is the difference between contender and Super Bowl pick.
Will it happen? Here is the honest read. Donald has not said no the way he said no a year ago. The teasing texts to McAfee and Schultz are not random. They are how veteran stars test the temperature of a comeback before they commit publicly. He is letting the league know he is open. He is letting the Rams know he is open. And he is letting himself confirm the fire is still there.
If you are a Rams fan, you have already started writing the depth chart in your head. Donald, Garrett, Kobie Turner on the interior, Jared Verse coming off the edge if he is still on the roster. That is a unit that can win you a championship. It is the kind of front Bill Belichick used to build entire seasons around.
The Garrett trade was the splash. A Donald comeback would be the announcement that the Rams are not rebuilding. They are coming for everybody.
Watch this space. McAfee gets the next text first.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
