Sean McVay addresses if Aaron Donald could play in Week 1

Recent whispers suggested that defensive superstar Aaron Donald would not play for the Los Angeles Rams in their regular-season opener versus the rival San Francisco 49ers
in Melbourne,
Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time).

However, such stories emerged before Donald officially ended his retirement to rejoin the Rams and before the 35-year-old said on Sunday that he “100 percent” can be what he was when he earned Defensive Player of the Year Award honors on three occasions. Also on Sunday, Rams head coach Sean McVay shared a Donald update that may concern members of the 49ers. 

Rams taking Aaron Donald’s Week 1 status “one day at a time”

“I’m not going to talk about any sort of plans,” McVay said about Donald possibly playing against the 49ers, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, ‘Alright, if you’re coming back, let’s do that, let’s get you back on the practice field, let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches.’ And then we’ll see what that ramp-up period looks like, whether or not he’s available or whether or not we think it’s best to play him in Australia. I think the best way to do it is take it one day at a time. But, we’re obviously excited to be able to have him back.”

Donald hasn’t played in a game since he retired in March 2024, and he turned 35 years old this past May. The fact that he did not confirm on Sunday that he plans to play in Week 1 could lead one to think that he simply may not want to deal with all that’s involved with traveling to and from Australia to participate in a meaningful NFL game. 

In Week 2 of the season, the Rams will host the New York Giants for a “Monday Night Football” game on Sept. 21. One would think McVay and Co. would have no problem with Donald staying closer to home and preparing to make his in-game return against Big Blue. 

Why did Aaron Donald take so long to confirm return to Rams?

Previous reports hinted that Donald would confirm his return to the Rams before the preseason wrapped up. Instead, he left Rams fans hanging until he signed his one-year contract on the NFL’s roster cutdown day. 

“I think he wanted to get to a point where he knows just from his previous experiences, alright, I want to be able to be there, be a part of the football team, and I think there were some things that he wanted to be able to work through — just in terms of his workouts and where he felt his body was before he could comfortably get to this spot,” McVay said about Donald’s process. “And so, that was really what went into it. He and I both kind of had an unspoken understanding like, once we get the roster down, where are you at with it? You don’t owe us anything. And no matter what, there’s a lot of love. We wanted to make sure that he felt good about doing that. He obviously is incredibly — his priority is with his family. And so when he does something, he does it all in. That’s what led to being able to get it done [Sunday].”

As of Monday morning, it was unknown when outsiders will learn about Donald’s status for the 49ers game.