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Rams' Sean McVay has no timeline for Aaron Donald decision: 'I am hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later'

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has no timeline for Aaron Donald's decision on whether he'll return to play, saying it will be on his own timeline.

First seen Aug 16, 2026 · 6:33 PM UTC · last updated Aug 16 9:02 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Aaron Donald's situation remains unresolved, and that lack of clarity matters far more for real-world roster construction than for fantasy — Donald is a defensive lineman, and unless your league scores IDP, this news has essentially zero direct fantasy relevance for him individually. Myles Garrett is named alongside him only as a point of reference in this cluster, with no new information reported about his own status, workload, or usage. There's nothing actionable here for either player in standard fantasy formats.

Where this does carry weight is for IDP leagues or dynasty formats that track roster and depth-chart uncertainty. McVay's comment that Donald's return is "on his own timeline" signals the Rams' defensive front is still an open question heading into draft prep. If you're in an IDP league and considering Rams defensive linemen, treat this as a note of caution rather than a red flag — there's no indication of retirement, injury severity, or a firm no; it's simply unresolved. Avoid overreacting by dropping or downgrading Donald prematurely, but also don't lock him into an early-round IDP slot with confidence until there's clearer word on his commitment to playing.

For standard fantasy rosters, no action is needed on Garrett or Donald based on this report — neither offensive production nor standard scoring is affected. File this as a depth-chart/roster-construction watch item for IDP-specific drafts, keep an eye out for a firmer announcement on Donald's plans as the offseason progresses, and treat the current 80%-confidence reporting as accurate on the fact of the delay itself, even though the ultimate outcome (return or retirement) is still genuinely uncertain.

Rams' Sean McVay has no timeline for Aaron Donald decision: 'I am hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later'

There has been no deadline given to Aaron Donald to make a decision on whether he’ll return to play or not, according to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

“Here’s what I would say; we have a great dialog,” McVay said Saturday night, via team transcript. “It's going to be on his timeline. When he feels good about having clarity, whether that is yes or whether that ends up being a no, we have had some tentative decisions behind the scenes.”

McVay’s comments came in the aftermath of Los Angeles defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-12, Saturday in both teams’ preseason opener.

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Having Donald for the preseason clearly isn’t on the priority list for the Rams and McVay, who rarely gives starters preseason snaps, anyhow.

Donald, who retired after the 2023 season and is now 35, began the unretirement rumblings right after the Rams orchestrated a trade with the Cleveland Browns for Myles Garrett. Garrett and Donald would seem to be locks for the Hall of Fame, but before they unite in Canton, Ohio, getting together for a Rams Super Bowl push has become a realistic prospect.

Donald has been at the team’s facility at times during the offseason and heightened anticipation for a return when he had an official tryout -- as recognized on the Aug. 5 transaction wire.

Since Donald retired, his contract tolled and would be due a $30 million base figure, though any contract issues would surely be renegotiated. A three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Donald has a résumé that’s driven anticipation, but the reality is he’ll need to make sure he’s in “football shape” after two years away. He’s known for being a machine in the gym, but the grind of practicing and playing NFL football is a different animal.

“There’s a lot of stuff -- without getting too granular with it, and out of respect to the dialog he and I have. I do think he earns the right [to have his own timeline],” McVay said. “I think our guys are doing a great job focusing on what they can control. That's our current team as it stands right now. If Aaron does decide he wants to do it, I have been very open to be able to try and explore that opportunity. But I think he earned the right to be able to say -- he knows himself in terms of, am I able to stack back-to-back days, am I able to do some of the different things?”

Until Donald’s decision is made and becomes official, it will continue to be a storyline that follows the Rams. McVay isn’t worried about that it seems, nor is he going to put the pressure on perhaps the finest player he’s ever coached to hurry up and make a call.

“What I don't want is to sit here and do is put a timeline on it, then something comes up where I have to push it back,” McVay said. “What I have said to him is that we have some loose things that I have identified, like dates that we would like to hit. But what I don't want to have is any unnecessary pressure on him if there are some unforeseen circumstances. I feel great about our football team as it currently stands, and I know he will add value if he decides to come. So, if he puts himself in a position where he says yes or no, I think he has earned the right to have clarity on that.

“We are not at that point quite yet. I am hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later but I also want to respect when he does feel that clarity will come, I think there is a chance we will be closer to that than not, but again, I don't want to say too much or put some sort of invisible deadline on something that doesn't exist in my mind for him.”

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Grant Gordon · Aug 16, 2026 · read original