Sean McVay Says Aaron Donald “Looked Outstanding” in Rams Workout, But Comeback Decision Still Not Made
Aaron Donald put on a helmet and hit the field at Loyola Marymount University this week. The football world has not stopped talking about it since.
The Los Angeles Rams’ all-time great defensive tackle, retired since March 2024, worked out with the team Tuesday under the direction of defensive line coach Giff Smith. It was significant enough that the Rams had to report it to the NFL as an official tryout on Wednesday’s transaction wire, a procedural requirement tied to Donald using team equipment and facilities. Head coach Sean McVay addressed the workout Thursday, and his message was clear: Donald looked the part, but no decision has been made.
“I’m careful to say — things are going in the right direction,” McVay said, according to the team’s official site. “He’s feeling good, but we’re not to where we are able to say whether or not he is or isn’t ready to do it. But he’s doing great, and he looked outstanding, as I think all of us would expect.”
What Actually Happened at the Workout
Per McVay, the session was low-key by design. Donald wore a helmet, hit some sleds, and ran through standard individual drills — no pads, no live contact. Rams senior vice president of sports medicine Reggie Scott and director of strength and conditioning Justin Lovett were also on hand. McVay wasn’t present in person but said he reviewed the workout afterward.
McVay downplayed the “tryout” label that showed up on the NFL wire, calling it more of a formality than a signal of imminent news. “It was kind of semantical to be able to use the equipment and things like that to fall under the legalities of the CBA,” he explained, per therams.com. He added that Donald won’t have another workout with the team during this process, though he has offsite plans of his own.
NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal got a more lighthearted read from McVay in a separate conversation, with the coach joking it was the “best tryout we’ve ever had” and adding, “I think he could make the team,” as NBC Sports reported.
Why the Timing Matters
Donald hasn’t played a snap since January 14, 2024, and he didn’t leave the game on bad terms or with anything left to prove. He announced his retirement in March 2024 after 10 seasons, all with the Rams, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Erica, and their kids. He finished with 111 sacks, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight First Team All-Pro nods and 10 Pro Bowl selections. He was the engine of the defense that beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
What’s changed since then is the roster around him. The Rams brought in Myles Garrett, and fans immediately started imagining a defensive front with both him and Donald on it. Los Angeles also added cornerback Trent McDuffie during the offseason, giving the secondary another boost. If Donald returns, he’d slot into a line that already features Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Byron Young.
McVay was asked directly last week about what benchmark would tell him Donald is ready. His answer, posted by ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on X, framed it as entirely Donald’s call: “Do it the way he’s accustomed to. And his standards are different,” McVay said —
Sean McVay on any benchmark Aaron Donald may have set to determine whether to return: “Do it the way he’s accustomed to. And his standards are different.”
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) August 7, 2026
The Money Question
A return isn’t just about whether Donald’s body and mindset are ready. The Daily Caller reported that Turf Show Times has pegged roughly $30 million in contract questions that would still need to be resolved before any deal gets done — a reminder that even a “yes” from Donald wouldn’t be the final step.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered the most direct read on where things stand: “Aaron Donald has not yet made a decision about whether he wants to return to the NFL. But it certainly seems like it’s trending in the right direction,” Rapoport said, per the Daily Caller’s citation of Sports Illustrated.
| Category | Career Total |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 10 (2014–2023) |
| Sacks | 111 |
| Defensive Player of the Year | 3x (2017, 2018, 2020) |
| First-Team All-Pro | 8x |
| Pro Bowl selections | 10x |
| Super Bowl titles | 1 (Super Bowl LVI) |
What McVay Made Sure to Say
Beyond the football logistics, McVay leaned into something less transactional: Donald doesn’t owe the Rams anything, comeback or not. “This guy gave this organization everything he had for 10 years,” McVay said, according to therams.com. “If he is going to do it, he’s going to do it the right way, and if not, he’s got a lot of cool stuff going on as a husband, as a father, and doing what he’s doing business-wise.”
That tone matches how Donald has approached the speculation all along. He’s stayed visibly in shape, occasionally posting workout clips, and in June even put current Rams edge rusher Jared Verse through what Donald called an “old man retirement workout” after Verse called him out on a podcast. It was a reminder that Donald never really stopped training — he just stopped deciding.
For now, the ball is in his court. No timetable has been set publicly for when Donald will announce a decision, and McVay reiterated Thursday that there’s “no new news on that front” beyond what the workout showed.
