New Aaron Donald Update Given By Sean McVay, Rams HC Won't Put 'Invisible Deadline' on Decision

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay says he doesn't want to put an "invisible deadline" on when Aaron Donald needs to decide whether he is going to attempt an NFL comeback this season.

McVay told reporters after Saturday's preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs that decision would be made on a timeline chosen by Donald, not the Rams.

The Rams have tentative dates as to when the team would like to know Donald's status but don't want to pressure Donald by making that timeline public, according to McVay.

"If Aaron does decide he wants to do it, I've been very open that we want to try to be able to explore that opportunity," McVay said. "But I think he has earned the right to be able to say he knows himself in terms of, am I able to stack back-to-back days? Am I able to do some of the different things, and some of the benchmarks that he's set out for himself?

"What I don't want to sit here and do is put a timeline on it, and then something comes up where I've got to push it back. What I have said with him, we have some loose things where we've identified dates that we'd like to be able to hit, but what I don't want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him if there's some unforeseen circumstances."

McVay concluded, "I feel great about our football team as it currently stands, and I know he'll add value if he decides to come... We're not at that point quite yet. I'm hopeful that it'll be sooner than later."

Knowing if Donald is returning could impact how the Rams approach the deadline to cut down to 53 players on Aug. 30.

Donald, who played for the Rams from 2014 to 2023 and was still one of the NFL's top defenders at the time of his retirement, has joined his team in the past without having participated in all offseason activities.

He sat out the Rams' training camps in both 2017 and 2018 amid a bid for a new contract that caused him to miss Week 1 of the 2017 season.

A late start would likely be significantly more challenging this time considering that Donald has spent the last two seasons out of the NFL entirely.

McVay has previously said Donald is going through a "strict, regimented process" in order to decide whether to attempt playing an 11th season.

The Rams coach has indicated he and Donald are staying in communication throughout that process, which could determine if Donald ends up rejoining his former team in time for preseason action against the New Orleans Saints next Saturday or the Los Angeles Rams the following Friday.

Whatever Donald's decision, Myles Garrett will be expected to lead the Rams' defensive line when his team kicks off the regular season Sept. 10 against the visiting San Francisco 49ers.