Rams fans should be thankful that they’ll get to see Aaron Donald play at least two more years in the NFL, and Sean McVay is one of the primary reasons Donald decided to return after weighing retirement.
There were other factors at play, like his new contract, but Donald wouldn’t be getting ready for the 2022 season had McVay decided to leave coaching for the broadcast booth.
On NFL Network, Donald made it clear that he would’ve retired if McVay left the Rams.
“Not at all. Not at all,” Donald said when asked if he’d be at training camp if McVay retired. “I told Sean when he first got here and we accomplished some things early when he first got here, and I told him, as long as he’s the head coach here, I want to continue to build my legacy with him. As long as he’s here and I got the ability to still play at a high level, I’m gonna be here. When he’s gone and it’s all said and done, that’s probably when I’ll be hanging it up, too.”
As far as @aarondonald99 is concerned, he and Sean McVay are a packaged deal. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WNVXzxVLtw
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 30, 2022
This is just another example of how much guys love playing for McVay. Not only do Rams players want to stick around and remain with the organization, but outside free agents such as Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson sought the Rams in part because of McVay.
Donald and McVay have formed a strong relationship, and it’s not like things were always easy because in McVay’s first year, Donald held out of training camp in search of his first lucrative extension. That holdout trickled into 2018, too, though those negotiations went a bit better than the ones in 2017.
As long as Donald and McVay are in Los Angeles, the Rams should remain Super Bowl contenders. And that should make fans feel very good.