As Aaron Donald continues to tease fans with indirect hints that he’s working towards a comeback with the Los Angeles Rams, he also risks alienating and frustrating those same people who believe he’s returning if he later announces that he’s going to stay retired. Even if it’s his right to make an attempt, and even if he’s being genuine in his interest to come back, it’s been nearly three months of speculation already — that he’s fueled himself — and Rams fans are expressing a contempt for seeing
Aaron Donald’s name in the news that we’ve never seen before.
If Donald comes back, then he’s a hero. If he doesn’t though, some Rams fans will feel they’ve been used.
On June 1, 2026, Donald made an Instagram post of him working out with the hashtag “#ready” that many people ran with as an indication that he’s on the precipice of making a return announcement. Ironically, we’ve since had 10 weeks of Aaron Donald headlines that make it clear, “He’ll only come back when he’s ready.”
So…I guess he wasn’t #ready then?
No, in fact, that’s not even why Donald used that hashtag, which some of you already know. Maybe it’s the fact that most Rams fans don’t know why he used the word “ready” that has inspired this many headlines about Aaron Donald to be created.
Ready is the name of his protein bar and sports drink franchise.
In one of the most electric interviews of all-time, Donald reveals that his favorite Ready protein bar is…chocolate peanut butter!
On June 2, one day after his #ready post, that’s when Pat McAfee goes on his show and tells the world that he texted Donald and that the Myles Garrett trade has “got me thinking” about a return.
Who would ever accuse McAfee of being brand-focused and financially motivated?
But to be fair, Donald hasn’t say much about Ready since June 1, and really he hasn’t said anything at all. If this were to promote his brand, he’s doing a very bad job at it. Donald isn’t speaking to the media, he’s not taking interviews, he’s not going on podcasts, which are all things he could be doing with his name in the news every day. Certainly an Aaron Donald appearance on McAfee this week would get millions of views even if he didn’t want to talk about coming out of retirement.
That’s how much interest there is around him right now.
So we can assume that Donald’s training, and his two official workouts with the Rams when he used their facilities in an official capacity, are all genuine efforts to see if he can play and maybe get a second Super Bowl ring.
This still wouldn’t stop the fact that many Rams fans are getting tired of news about a player who isn’t on the team and who they fear still won’t be when all these rumors stop.
In a recent Feed post by our own John Newman, “Do you think Donald is serious?”, many fans talked about Donald in a way that I’ve never heard Rams fans talk about Aaron Donald before.
Here are some of the top comments:
SlowTightEnd: “Actually, I don’t think he’s serious. And, I think it’s an unnecessary distraction for the team. Frankly, AD was seriously injured in that 2022 fiasco season and missed a lot of games. Then he was good in 2023, but not his former sensational self. I sure wish we’d had him in 2024 and 2025. Especially the latter year where just another sack or two versus Sam Darnold would’ve likely meant a SB Championship. But after two years off and at age 35, no $30M payday please.“
And I’m not highlighting any of your comments to disparage fans or Donald. This is just how many people are starting to feel and let’s call a spade a spade: It’s fascinating and unexpected.
Ramaha: “At this point I don’t really care. The Rams don’t need him. This is an asinine luxury. Play or don’t. Think the Rams players are tired as hell about questions about AD. At what point does he become a distraction?“
What was once a fun idea has now become an unwelcome distraction.
Rams62: “If he isn’t serious about coming back then I think this is lousy and cheap way to get some attention.“
And therein lies the heart of the problem if Donald doesn’t come out of retirement. Even if it’s just because he tried and decided he doesn’t have the juice anymore, perception is reality. Many will feel duped.
ohramsfan: “I think since it was disclosed he has a production group in place for a possible documentary, that’s all this is, meaning promotion for his yet to be filmed documentary… I hope he proves me wrong, but the longer it goes the less I believe him returning.“
If an AD documentary does get released in the future, detailing these months, it could do more harm than good. Just another fake reality show?
Tom House: “He’s like a week away from slightly tarnishing his otherwise impeccable legacy. Only ’cause indecision makes you look weak.“
This comment was 3 days ago, so the clock is ticking on the decision.
Although Aaron Donald tarnishing his legacy with Rams fans would be like Tom Cruise tarnishing his legacy with the Church of Scientology (meaning there’s almost no wrong that can be done), he’s still going from infallible to fallible the longer this drags out.
Maybe Donald just doesn’t want to be added to the roster yet. It could behoove the team to wait until after final cuts.
But these reports could have stayed in the shadows. Sean McVay could have refused to talk about Donald to the media, and instead he is surprisingly candid about it and happy to receive questions that aren’t actually about the team. That feels a little unusual and perhaps he’s too elated to talk about Donald. Does he know the outcome already?
If Aaron Donald announces his return this month, his reputation with Rams fans will go above heights we ever thought was possible. Even if he’s not his old self, fans will appreciate the effort.
However, if Donald stays retired, and then goes on McAfee and promotes Ready protein bars, and releases a documentary about his attempt to return, his legacy will take a hit that we’ve never seen before.
