Even in retirement, Aaron Donald is still haunting the NFL. After the Los Angeles Rams shook the league by trading for reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, speculation quickly heated up about the potential un-retirement of Donald. This combination of two of the most threatening defensive players of all time has already led to debates around the league, with players like Seattle Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp texting Donald to not retire.

And now, reacting to this possibility, Cowboys legend Michael Irvin jokingly suggested that the league should step in and intervene should Donald decide to come back.

“People talking about Aaron Donald thinking about coming back, and we know that’s not real. We just know that’s not real because I would expect the NFL to step in and stop that. You cannot allow Aaron Donald. I don’t care if he’s been off for a few years. I don’t care what you think. You can’t allow Aaron Donald,” Irvin said on his YouTube page.

While Irvin’s comments were partly a joke, they still carry some truth as to what the combination of Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald would be on the same Defensive Line. Both players share five Defensive Player of the Year trophies between them, and it would be a nightmare matchup for any offensive line in the league. I

While the league would not intervene, the best option for the 31 teams right now is to only hope that Donald’s enjoying his retirement too much to consider making a comeback.

The rumors of this pairing stemmed when the Rams made a blockbuster trade last week with the Cleveland Browns for Garrett, sending edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a conditional 2029 third-round pick. This continues an ‘all-in’ approach that the Rams have previously taken multiple times. This approach of trading draft capital and players to get superstars from other teams is what helped them win Super Bowl LVI in the first place.

Additionally, the speculation gained further traction when the Rams GM himself said,

“I do think for the first time since he’s retired, he’s maybe tempted,” Les Snead said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Maybe do one last stand.”

It’s one thing for someone in the media or a former player like Irvin to speculate. It’s another thing entirely for the general manager to talk about Donald’s return this way. In fact, Donald himself has fanned the flames of the ongoing speculation. When Pat McAfee texted him about where his head is currently, the former Rams DE replied,

“[The Myles Garrett trade] for sure got me thinking,” Donald said, before adding, “Gotta see if that fire can light back up.”

Now, that’s going to really agitate Michael Irvin, and every offensive lineman and QB on the Rams’ schedule this year.

Why Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett would form one of the NFL’s most feared defensive duos

Only a few defenders in NFL history can match Donald’s illustrious resume. The future Hall of Famer played in the league for 10 seasons and made Pro Bowls in all of them. He was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time First-Team All-Pro player.

Meanwhile, Garrett also brings an unbelievable track record of his own. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards in the last two years and is arguably one of the best players in the league right now.

What makes this potential pairing so unstoppable is how their particular skill sets complement each other. Donald’s prowess included destroying the interior of the offensive line, which adversely impacted the opposition’s run game and prevented the quarterback from stepping into throws.

Garrett, on the other had is a pure edge rusher off the edge. So combining the two would mean there’s nowhere for a QB to escape. No wonder why Michael Irvin thinks that the league should step in to stop this pairing.

For now, though, this potential pairing firmly remains speculative. And until Donald takes a firm step and files his paperwork for a return, former NFL players like Irvin can rest easy. For now, at least.