A smiling Sean McVay has further fueled rumors around Aaron Donald’s return.
The former defensive tackle, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams alongside McVay, is said to be seriously considering a comeback.
Donald walked away from the NFL in 2024, aged 32, and cited feeling ‘more than accomplished’ in the sport at the time.
By two years on, he’s been flirting with a return.
The Rams recently acquired game-wreaker and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, in a blockbuster deal, and he could be paired with Donald to create one of the most fearsome tandems in league history.
Los Angeles also have quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, and highly-rated wideout Puka Nacua on their roster, as they chase Super Bowl glory in 2026.
Should Donald indeed return, the Rams would further cement themselves as favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Coach McVay has recently admitted that the decision won’t be made while they are in the early stages of training camp at Loyola Marymount University, but suggested his status is ‘going in the right direction’.
“If there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards,” he said Friday.
A day later, McVay dropped another hint — perhaps his biggest yet.
Sean McVay offers strongest hint yet of Aaron Donald return
During a training camp interview with former NFL star Bryant McFadden of CBS, the Rams HC admitted that everything he says gets turned into a ‘soundbite’ — which is why he sometimes doesn’t like to answer questions.
So, instead of shooting straight, two-time Super Bowl champion McFadden suggested McVay should ‘give body expressions’ based on what he asks.
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He opened with: “First question: Do you expect to see Aaron Donald play in 2026 for the Rams?”
McVay, playing along, turned to the camera and pulled a ‘shocked’ face.
“Second question: Do you expect to see Aaron Donald play in the month of September?” McFadden asked.
That question drew a big, cheesy grin from McVay.
McFadden then wrapped up by saying: “Lastly, do you expect to see Aaron Donald — when he returns — get back to that dominant Aaron Donald that you last saw?”
At that point, McVay found his words again.
“This one deserves an answer,” the Rams coach said.
“Hey, the one thing I’ll say, he’s only going to do it (if) he feels he can do it the way he’s accustomed to. He’s earned the right, he’s taken great care of himself. So I’ll say this…”
He then smiled, and nodded his head towards the camera.
By saying very little, McVay actually said a lot.
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One of the most disruptive linemen in NFL history appears to be on the verge of a shock comeback.
Myles Garrett excited to be Aaron Donald’s ‘partner in crime’
A three-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Pro, Donald initially retired as the Rams’ career leader in sacks, with 111 in 154 games.
He made game-ending defensive plays in both the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVI, en-route to lifting the Lombardi Trophy in February 2022.
More than four years on, and he could return for another run.
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Garrett, who last year set the NFL record for most sacks in a single season with 23 for the Cleveland Browns, is desperate to taste Super Bowl glory himself.
He knows a player like Donald could help him get to the promised land, and also help him improve his own game.
“I’d love to learn from him,” Garrett said last week.
“I’ve watched his tape. Everyone who’s been a rusher from anywhere across the line, they have a lot of respect for him.
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“I don’t want to push him in one way or another. If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime.
“And I think we can do great things, but it’s a difficult thing coming back, and I know he has a family.
“He has a lot of decisions to make. Last thing he needs is me to push him in one direction or another. I’m gonna support him either way and I look forward to seeing whatever happens.”