McVay: No Donald update yet, but in 'right direction' — SkimNews
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- Sean McVay said Aaron Donald's retirement decision won't be known until after the Rams return to their Woodland Hills practice facility on Aug. 8, with their last Loyola Marymount University practice scheduled for Aug. 7.
- McVay told reporters Friday that Donald's situation is 'going in the right direction' and 'if there's an arrow, it's trending upwards,' though he declined to share specific timelines out of respect for Donald.
- Donald retired in March 2024 after the 2023 season and is now working through a 'very strict, regimented process' to see how his body responds before deciding whether to play this season.
- The conversation about Donald's potential return was first raised when McVay reached out for Donald's opinion during the team's internal discussions about trading for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June.
- Myles Garrett said Wednesday he doesn't want to influence Donald's decision but believes the pair 'can do great things' together, acknowledging the difficulty of coming back given Donald's family considerations.
- Donald holds the Rams' franchise record for career sacks with 111, a mark he set before retiring after the 2023 season.
Why it matters: A Donald return would pair the Rams' all-time sack leader (111 career sacks) with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, instantly reshaping the NFL's defensive landscape — but McVay's Aug. 8 timeline means the Rams enter the regular-season prep window without certainty on whether their best defender will play.
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