Sean McVay is aggressively reshaping the Rams roster to get another Super Bowl after the 2021 season. He brought in Aaron Donald, got in Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, and also extended Matthew Stafford’s contract. But turns out it’s all because of McVay’s future retirement plans and not just winning.

“The only reason the multi-time Defensive Player of the Year is coming out of retirement isn’t to get double-teamed every Sunday,” former NFL nose tackle Breiden Fehoko said on X. “No, it’s to ride off into the sunset one last time with his coach. Sean McVay will retire soon, so he doesn’t become another Mike Tomlin who coaches long enough for his fan base to run him out.”

Aaron Donald’s return does raise many questions, as he left the NFL seemingly content with his career. He left as a three-time DPOY and Super Bowl champion (LVI) with nothing left to prove. Donald was named First-Team All-Pro eight times and made the Pro Bowl in all ten seasons of his career.

But then Donald started thinking about returning to football after Sean McVay called him in late May 2026 and told him the Rams were considering trading for Myles Garrett. Donald liked the idea because he saw the Rams building a very strong team.

When the Rams acquired Garrett from the Browns – trading Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick – Donald realized the team had become even stronger and began seriously considering a comeback.

After training for 14 weeks, he finally got the confidence to return to the field. So, it’s clearly not a rash decision. But it is sure a risky bet, as ending up losing can be a big blow.

Meanwhile, last year’s 12-5 is not a bad record, and McVay is making sure he brings in all solid players to push that record to a Super Bowl win.

Now, longevity can sometimes become a roadblock. McVay is with the Rams for nine years, and as per Fehoko, he might want to retire with a winning record, as he compared him to Mike Tomlin.

McVay, like Tomlin, risks coaching long enough for his legacy to erode. Tomlin’s 19-year tenure ended after a Super Bowl win and seven straight playoff losses.

McVay’s tenure is still young compared to Tomlin’s, and he is holding up a solid record of 92-57 in the regular season and 10–6 in the playoffs. And he is not planning to retire anytime soon.

But retirement was once under consideration.

He had a very difficult 2022 season. The Rams’ 5-12 collapse burned McVay out.

“The reality is, I would have been quitting because I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter,” McVay said on Bussin’ With the Boys back in May.

But he finally understood it’s not always about winning or losing. And with so many changes around the Rams, this can be more of a comeback moment for McVay than retirement.