Sean McVay drops huge hint on Aaron Donald’s future as retired Rams star explores lucrative new career

Aaron Donald appears to be close to making a decision over his future.

After the Los Angeles Rams traded for unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett earlier this offseason, rumors quickly began to swirl over whether this blockbuster move would be enough to convince Donald to return to the NFL.

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Of course, Donald abruptly retired from the league in 2024 at the age of 32 citing that he no longer had that desire to continue on.

But he has maintained – and perhaps even bettered – his physical conditioning in the years since his retirement.

According to many reports, Donald is weighing up the possibility of a comeback to the Rams, who appear to be tailor-made on both sides of the ball with reigning MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford to go out and try and win a Super Bowl in 2026.

Whilst Rams head coach Sean McVay has remained tight-lipped over the possibility of a reunion with the three-time DPOY, his facial expressions have been less coy.

On Tuesday, in an interview with Rams Central, McVay offered the latest on the Donald rumors.

“The latest is he’s putting himself in the position to make a decision. He’s working hard. He’s feeling good,” McVay said.

“He knows what it’s like to put himself in a position to be able to go and play this game at a high level. He did that for 10 years.

“He’s taking great care of himself in the two years that he’s been off, and he’s really been doing some different things that are really in alignment with being able to play this game – activating his lower half – and he’s feeling good so far.

“… Things are looking positive. But he doesn’t owe us anything. We’ll take it a day at a time.”

The most interesting part of that interview, though, was when he was asked to write down on a Post-It note whether he thinks Donald will come back, and when putting it in the anonymous box, he said, with a huge grin on his face, “I think you can guess.”

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Avenue for a media career is not off the table

Although McVay appeared to hint at a return being a very strong possibility, a recent report from Front Office Sports revealed that Donald is also considering making moves in the media space.

It was announced on Tuesday that the 35-year-old had signed with Jon Rosen’s management team at Envisionary to “grow his businesses, brand partnerships, and overall profile in the media and entertainment industries.”

Earlier this year, he served as a guest analyst for NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show.

Whether Donald is pursuing a media career in 2026 or just putting plans together and in motion for further down the line is undetermined.

However, the eight-time All-Pro is also reportedly working on a docuseries.

What the docuseries will be about specifically is also undetermined, though some have speculated that it could be a “Last Dance” type documentary – perhaps even following his return to the NFL, with him only likely to play one or two seasons if he were to come back.

The NFL world continues to await Donald’s final decision.