Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams have been crystal clear about Aaron Donald.
Anticipation had grown over the past week-plus about the Rams possibly getting an answer from the franchise legend regarding his potential return. Instead, there have been few actual updates amid continued speculation.
McVay, for his part, remained steadfast about his and the Rams’ position on Donald following their preseason-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rams’ Sean McVay Sets Record Straight About Aaron Donald
GettyThe Rams are working on Aaron Donald’s timeline.
McVay tried to lean on the idea that he and the Rams are not pushing Donald to make a decision, but his tone also suggested that they anticipate his answer will be a yes. That is not to say Donald has decided.
“You know what, here’s what I would say: It’s really–we’ve had great dialogue. It’s going to be on his timeline and when he feels good about having clarity, whether that’s a yes, or whether that ends up being a no. We’ve had some tentative discussions behind the scenes. There’s a lot of stuff, without getting too granular with it, and just out of respect for the dialogue that he and I have,” McVay told reporters after the Rams’ win over the Chiefs.
“He’s earned the right. I think our guys are doing a great job of focusing on what they can control, and that’s our current team as it stands right now. If Aaron does decide he wants to do it, I’ve been very open that we want to try to be able to explore that opportunity. But I think he has kind of 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,’ and some of those benchmarks that he set out for himself.”
McVay continued to emphasize that he was not going to rush Donald, noting he did not want to put “unnecessary pressure” on his former player and current friend.
That is when McVay also suggested they are closer than not to a resolution.
Rams ‘Hopeful’ on Answer From AD
GettyAaron Donald continues to be a source of intrigue inside and outside the Rams.
Donald retired following the 2023 season, and he has increasingly shown signs of leaning towards returning.
That does not mean the Rams are getting antsy, but it still sounds like they expect Donald back.
“What I don’t want to sit here and do is put a timeline, then, on it, and then something comes up, where I’ve got to kind of push it back. What I have said with him, we have some loose things, where we’ve identified dates that we’d like to be able to hit. But what I don’t want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him. If there’s some unforeseen circumstances, I feel great about our football team as it currently stands. And I know he’ll add value if he decides to come,” McVay said. “If he’s put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no, I think he’s earning the right to have clarity on that. We’re not at that point quite yet.
“I’m hopeful that it’ll be sooner than later, but I also want to respect when he does feel like that clarity will come. And I think there’s a chance that we’ll 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.”
The Rams can wait until Week 13 of the regular season for an answer from Donald. That is the deadline for players in his position to file for reinstatement. Until that happens, the Rams can only continue to wait for an answer from Donald.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Sean McVay Delivers Honest Message Amid Aaron Donald Update appeared first on HEAVY.