LOS ANGELES -- It was late May when Sean McVay called Aaron Donald. The Rams were considering trading for reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and McVay was curious what Donald thought. Donald, retired since March 2024, liked the idea and realized, "I wish I was still out there playing right about now."

On June 1, the Rams traded for Garrett, sending outside linebacker Jared Verse to the Cleveland Browns as part of a package including a first-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2028. When Donald mentioned coming out of retirement to McVay, it led to a conversation the head coach never expected. "When he sat down with me and he said, 'I'm full, I'm complete,' he meant it and I believed him," McVay said. "I think out of respect for him, you don't revisit those things."

Three months after their first conversation, Donald and the Rams agreed to a one-year, $20 million deal with playoff incentives that can raise the total to $30 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It took what Donald called "a long process," one that general manager Les Snead described to Pat McAfee as "a grueling summer." Now, the Rams might have the best defensive front in NFL history, partly due to Garrett's addition and the McVay-Donald relationship.

Donald spent the past 14 weeks in "nonstop grinding" to get his body ready at age 35. He lifted weights and worked on conditioning, though he noted the transition to grass was "a little different." McVay described the work as a "very strict, regimented process."