The Door Is Wide Open: McVay Won't Put a Clock on Aaron Donald's Comeback

The Los Angeles Rams are playing the long game with a living legend, and Sean McVay wouldn't have it any other way.

Speaking after Saturday's preseason matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Rams head coach made one thing crystal clear: there is no countdown clock on Aaron Donald. No "invisible deadline." Just patience.

"He's put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no," McVay told the Los Angeles Times. "I think he's earned that right to have clarity on that. We're not at that point quite yet."

A Legend in Limbo

Donald, who spent all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Rams before hanging it up in March 2024, has been flirting with a comeback for weeks. The 35-year-old defensive tackle joined the team for a workout on Aug. 5 and, according to McVay, "looked outstanding." The three-time Defensive Player of the Year began taking the idea seriously back in early June—right around the time the Rams pulled off the blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett.

Since then, he's been grinding to get back into football shape, stacking training days and checking benchmarks only he truly understands.

"We've had some tentative discussions behind the scenes," McVay said. "There's a lot of stuff, without getting too granular with it. ... He knows himself in terms of, 'Am I able to stack back-to-back days? Am I able to do some of the benchmarks that he's set out for himself.'"

The Roster Clock Is Ticking—But Not for Donald

The NFL's roster deadline looms: teams must trim from 90 to 53 players by Aug. 30. But McVay insists he won't force the issue with a future Hall of Famer who has earned the right to decide on his own terms.

"We have some loose things where we've identified you know dates that we'd like to be able to hit," McVay said. "But what I don't want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him if there's some unforeseen circumstances."

Translation: The Rams are ready whenever Donald is. And if he walks away for good? They're cool with that too.

"I feel great about our football team as it currently stands, and I know he'll add value if he decides to come," McVay said.

No pressure. No deadline. Just the door left wide open for one of the most disruptive defenders the league has ever seen. Now it's Donald's move.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop and The Associated Press contributed to this report.