Cooper Kupp Texted Aaron Donald He's 'Not Allowed' to Unretire, Join Rams After Myles Garrett Trade

Many around the NFL began fantasizing about the prospect of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald unretiring and rejoining the Los Angeles Rams to team up with newly-acquired star edge rusher Myles Garrett, but one of Donald's former teammates isn't one of them.

Seattle Seahawks veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who previously played alongside Donald with the Rams, revealed during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that he personally told Donald not to come out of retirement after the Rams acquired Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster trade earlier this week.

"I already texted him and told him that he's not allowed, so we're good," Kupp said around the 11:40 mark. "... I said, 'Don't even think about it,' and I just left it at that. So, we're good. I'm not worried about it, because he's not, because I told him he can't."

Donald starred for the Rams from 2014 to 2023 and helped them win the Super Bowl title in the 2021 season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his 10 seasons in the league, and he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year a record three times.

After the Rams acquired Garrett, Donald admitted in a text to NFL insider Jordan Schultz that there's a small part of him considering coming out of retirement.

"I'm for sure flirting with the idea," Donald told Schultz. "Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in [SoFi Stadium] this year. If I can find the fire, it's a possibility."

Rams head coach Sean McVay also told reporters during Garrett's introductory press conference that he's spoken with Donald about "the opportunity to be able to bring him on board." General manager Les Snead echoed McVay's stance.

"I think Sean [McVay] mentioned yesterday, they've definitely communicated, texted, even talked," Snead said when asked about Donald's potential return on Wednesday's episode of Wake Up Barstool. "Best strategy is to let him continue working out... let him sleep on it."

However, Kupp reiterated that he "already nipped it in the bud," so if he has his way, Donald will continue to enjoy his time away from football.

"I don't know what's gonna happen. That would be crazy, he's a very good football player. I don't care how old he is, how long he's not played, whatever. Aaron Donald is Aaron Donald," Kupp said. "But yeah, it doesn't matter, because I already told him he can't."