Rams coach Sean McVay said Thursday that he and Aaron Donald “probably talk every day.”
But it’s apparently still wait and see as to whether the star defensive lineman will return from a two-year retirement and rejoin a Rams team that is favored to win the Super Bowl.
McVay said Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, “looked great” during a workout on Tuesday at Loyola Marymount with defensive line coach Giff Smith and team trainers, and that Donald was continuing to go through his decision-making process.
“Things are going in the right direction,” McVay said. “He’s feeling good but we’re not to where we’re able to say whether or not he is or isn’t ready to do it.”
The Rams will return to their Woodland Hills training facility this weekend. McVay said Donald would not work out there but would continue to work with personal staff.
“He’s earned the right to be able to know what he feels like physically, mentally and emotionally to be able to go through the rigors of what an NFL season entails, and do it the way he’s accustomed to,” McVay said. “And his standards are different than others.”
For now, the Rams are preparing for the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia without Donald.
“It’s one of those deals that if he wants to do it, we’d be excited about the possibility,” McVay said. “And I think it’s really important to acknowledge that if he doesn’t, this guy gave this organization everything he had for 10 years.
“And so if he’s going to do it, he’s going to do it the right way. And if not, he’s got a lot of cool stuff going on as a husband and a father and doing what he’s doing business-wise.”