Never Say Never? Aaron Donald Responds to Myles Garrett Joining Rams in Blockbuster Deal

Pat McAfee shared Aaron Donald’s response to seeing Myles Garrett join the Rams in a blockbuster deal. | Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

As expected, news of Myles Garrett’s blockbuster trade to the Rams sent the NFL world into a frenzy. Those in the AFC North celebrated with relief. Others hailed the Rams’ “F--- them picks” strategy, which already helped them win one Super Bowl in recent history. As for one retired L.A. pass-rusher ... Aaron Donald just might be feeling a little FOMO.

Following the Rams’ all-in move to acquire Garrett this offseason, Donald shared his candid thoughts on what might be the deal of the offseason with Pat McAfee.

McAfee revealed on Tuesday’s episode of his eponymous show that he reached out to Donald the morning after Garrett’s deal via text message. Per McAfee, Donald replied, “It for sure got me thinking,” referring to the possibility of un-retiring to rejoin the Rams on what would truly be an unimaginable defensive lineup.

Donald allegedly added that he was 35, hasn’t played pro football in two years, and he’s “gotta see if that fire can light back up.”

That’s not an outright “no”, Aaron...

I reached out to @AaronDonald97 this morning..

According to source(s) it for sure got him thinking..

He said he's 35 and he's gotta see if that fire can light backup..

Aaron Donald and Myles Garret playing together with the Rams would be INSANE #PMSLive https://t.co/u6ioUwWsHL pic.twitter.com/6Ikj8vlFe2

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 2, 2026

Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is set to team up with the reigning league MVP, Matthew Stafford, who just helped lead L.A. to the NFC championship game in his age-37 season. Not to mention, the Rams also have Puka Nacua, who recorded an NFL-high 129 catches along with 1,715 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns last year, and Davante Adams, who led the league with 14 touchdowns of his own.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams gave up more of their picks for former Chiefs corner Trent McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro whom they made the highest-paid corner in the league earlier this offseason.

With the Rams trotting out the big guns ahead of the 2026 season, could Donald really come back? Rams corner Jaylen Watson, who joined the team as a free agent this offseason, already sent his pitch to Donald to return for one more year. “Hit me big bro,” Watson posted on X (formerly Twitter) and tagged Donald shortly after the Garrett trade went down.

@AaronDonald97 hit me big bro🎢

— Wat’s Island🏝 (@JaylenWatson12) June 1, 2026

Donald officially announced his retirement in March 2024, citing that his passion for the game was gone.

“I will always love football, but to think about going through another camp and another 17-(game) season, I just don't got the urge to want to push myself through that no more,” Donald said. “I'm just, I'm burnt out. The best way to say it is I'm full, I'm complete. I'm satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years. I think it's time for me at 32 years old to retire from football and jump into the next step of my career, my life. Now it's time to move on.”

In the years since, Donald has been posting intense workout videos on social media that appear to show him in pretty good physical shape. In Donald’s final season with the Rams in 2023, he proved he was still at the top of his game, racking up eight sacks and earning All-Pro honors for the eighth time in his illustrious NFL career.

But the question for the 35-year-old doesn’t seem to be whether he can do it still—it’s whether he wants to.

Donald last spoke about his retirement decision in May and noted that he didn’t regret his choice to walk away from football when he did.

“People ask me all the time like, ‘You sure you don’t want to play?’ I be like, to be honest with you, I have no urge to play football anymore,” Donald said on the Not Just Football podcast with Cam Heyward. “... I always knew I was a guy that never wanted to play forever. ... I always said I was going to do eight years and be done. I just happened to win a Super Bowl my eighth year and I was like, ‘Man, this is destiny!’”

For the time being, it looks like the opportunity of playing alongside Garrett isn’t going to change Donald’s mind—but the Rams can still dream about that hypothetical monster duo, anyway.

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