Rams GM details plan to lure Aaron Donald out of retirement

The Rams lost not only one of their best players of the past decade, but one of the NFL's greatest players of all time, this offseason when defensive tackle Aaron Donald officially called it a career after 10 seasons.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year finished his career with 542 tackles, 111 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, leaving Los Angeles with a major void on defense.

The team has since found a couple of players in the 2024 NFL Draft who its hoping can help fill Donald's production in edge rusher Jared Verse (first-round pick) and defensive lineman Braden Fiske (second-round pick).

However, general manager Les Snead isn't ready to completely shut the door on Donald returning under the right circumstances.

"I did mention to Aaron that, going back to our Super Bowl run, that there was a player by the name of Eric Weddle who kind of jumped into the playoffs, and we signed him to the practice squad," Snead said on "The Rich Eisen Show." "And we standard elevated him for four straight games to a Super Bowl championship. So, I did mention if we happen to get to the playoffs again, maybe we'll circle back and see if the cup's not quite filled."

Weddle announced his retirement in February 2020 and, almost two years later in January 2022, was willing to make a short return to chase a ring. It's safe to say it was the right decision as the Rams defeated the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

There is a difference between Donald and Weddle, however, as Donald has already raised a Vince Lombardi Trophy. Still, it's tough to imagine Donald passing up the opportunity to add to his trophy case.

Snead believes the toughest part of pulling Donald out of retirement is that he wouldn't have gone through the season like the rest of his teammates.

"Aaron's one of those guys where he's so principled, he might feel uncomfortable that, 'You know what, I didn't go through those other 18 (games) with the guys, I'm not sure I can go through the playoffs with them,'" Snead added. "Not sure. We might tempt him. No breaking news here."

Of course, Los Angeles must first make it back to the postseason again, but if it does, a quick call to Donald couldn't hurt.