Former defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s retirement was meant to be permanent. But the Los Angeles Rams’ trade for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett this offseason sparked a conversation that refuses to end. There is immense hope in some fans about the feared defender making a return.

According to Dez Bryant, head coach Sean McVay is simply awaiting a time to break the news.

“He knows Aaron Donald coming back… he’s entirely too happy 😂,” he posted on X.

Bryant also reposted a video of Sean McVay gushing about training camp, and the excitement in McVay’s voice was hard to miss.

The head coach has remained peculiarly optimistic about the idea of Donald returning, after all. When the rumor began after the Garrett trade, McVay believed that the former DT could still play at a “pretty high clip” at 35. Recently, too, the head coach gushed about Donald while speaking of his comeback.

““I have crossed paths with Aaron Donald,” McVay said on The Daily Flock. “What’s special is, we have a really special relationship. It’s way bigger than football. I’ve heard him say it before and it means the world to me — and I feel the same — it’s family with us. He’s done so much for me. I love the man he is. I love the husband, the father, the son — he represents a lot of the things that are right.

“And what he’s going to do is, he is thinking about this,” the Rams head coach added. “He’s going to go through his process. And the one thing about Aaron Donald is, what he does, he does it full speed ahead.”

Donald has visited the Rams facility too, and worked out. It is clear that he is mulling over his decision, and will take his time arriving at it. When that might happen is a mystery.

The former defensive tackle, in his whole career, saw only one season shortened by injury. Even though his numbers started to dip towards the end, he was still very consistent in his final year, which followed the injury-marred season. Donald recorded four more total tackles in 2023, and three more sacks.

This is a player who’s made the Pro Bowl every single year of his career. And now that there are star players like Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson, Donald would only have to play his part to keep the Rams defense competitive.

Whatever Donald decides, McVay says the team will make it happen. He just doesn’t have a clear answer right now.

“I genuinely do not have an answer on whether he is or isn’t,” McVay said. “I know he’s preparing himself to be able to make that decision, and if he feels good, he’s going to be ready to rock. But if not, he’s earned the right. He doesn’t owe us anything. He’s a special person.”

The Rams kick off their season September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, in Australia of all places. With Myles Garrett now in the fold, odds already have them as Super Bowl favorites at +550. When Donald is added into that mix, the number is bound to change drastically.