Are LA Rams already trying to lure Aaron Donald back from retirement?

Whether or not you believe that former LA Rams All Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald is permanently retired is not relative. Nor does my opinion as to whether he stays retired hold any weight. So let's keep this in perspective. What is important is whether the Aaron Donald's resolve to stay retired can withstand the tortuous period of time of watching his former teammates and coaches compete in the 2024 NFL season without him.

Some players who know him best continue to drop hints. Not just hints that he is welcome to return if he changes his mind, but that they would welcome him back should he choose to do so. Like who? Like WR Cooper Kupp, for starters:

Cooper Kupp told me they still have Aaron Donald's locker up and ready "if he ever wants to come back" and that he's going to keep saying these "backhanded comments in the media...I'm so happy for him... but if he ever wanted to come back he's more than welcome."
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) May 21, 2024

This is not the first time that Rams fans have been confronted with the possibility of Aaron Donald returning from retirement this year. Earlier this year, LA Rams GM Les Snead mentioned the possibility of Donald's return. At that time, we presented three scenarios that could lead to Donald coming out of retirement, to mixed reactions from fans. Keep in mind that information is not advocacy.

What I mean by that is that the discussion of what may trigger Donald to reconsider his retirement does not necessarily mean we want him to choose to do so. It's not uncommon for persons who retired to realize that their lives may not be as fulfilling with such as drastic change as first imagined. And with a competitor as elite as Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, there may be some unforeseen gas remaining in his tank that he will want to use as the 2024 NFL season wears on.

I am not suggesting that Donald will unretire. I am simply presenting the possibility that it could happen, a possibility that both GM Les Snead and WR Cooper Kupp continue to propagate with comments to the media.

No, don't get your hopes up. But at the same time, don't shoot the messenger. We know that DB Eric Weddle came out of retirement despite two years away from the NFL. And his presence helped the injury-riddled Rams secondary secure a win in Super Bowl LVI.

Will Aaron Donald come out of retirement? Perhaps not, but stranger things have happened. Let's just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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