Les Snead May Offer Aaron Donald an Eric Weddle Like Deal to Make a Comeback

Aaron Donald decided to hang up his jersey for good, back in March this year. He was the only player in the Rams’ franchise to have spent a decade with the team and even got a Pro Bowl selection each year. The 3x DPOY also led the team in career sacks and was unstoppable on the field. That is the reason why Les Snead might approach him if the team needs him again.

Approaching retired players is nothing new for the Los Angeles Rams, who brought out Eric Weddle from retirement to win a Super Bowl LVI against the Bengals. But is the same awaiting Donald? The question is all the more relevant now as, recently, the Director General of the Rams went to The Rich Eisen Show and talked about how Donald’s absence will affect the team and the possibility of giving him an Eric Weddle-like deal.

Is Aaron Donald a phone call away?

When Aaron Donald retired, the one major aspect he revealed was how he was completely burnt out and had nothing more to offer to the game or his team. “I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me,” the veteran had shared in a video. While fans were bummed about not seeing their favorite player on the field anymore, they also held out hope that he might reconsider. And it looks like, if he does reconsider, Les Snead will be ready to take him in with open arms.

Speaking about the veteran, Eisen asked Snead about when he got to know about Aaron Donald’s possible retirement. From Snead’s words, it looks like he had an idea of what was coming for the Los Angeles Rams in the future.

“I think that first inkling was, I think Sean also mentioned it during the season there was, there was a little bit of vibe that this could be it for Aaron, as he chatted with people around the building. Now with that being said, he was having a blast in his final season.”

Snead also added that Donald mentioned his desire to retire to Sean McVay after the team lost to the Lions in a playoff game. As per the DG, Donald’s “cup was full” as he expressed his sentiment to the Rams HC. Having said that, naturally the conversation flowed toward Donald being offered something more lucrative.

“I did mention to Aaron that, let’s call it going back to our Super Bowl run, that there was a player by the name of Eric Weddle, who kind of you know jumped into the playoffs and we signed him to the practice squad and we standard elevated him for four straight games to a Super Bowl Championship,” said Snead indicating that he might offer a similar deal to Donald in the future.

Truth be told, Eric Weddle’s comeback is nothing short of a dream! From retiring without a championship to coming back and getting one, the player’s professional career ended on the highest note.

The Eric Weddle deal that got the Rams a Super Bowl

The Los Angeles team lost their safety Taylor Rapp to a concussion back in 2022. And, adding to that misery, their other safety Jordan Fuller was also ruled out of the season due to an ankle injury as the regular season concluded. Left with limited options, the Rams decided to offer a deal to Eric Weddle for the remainder of the schedule. The deal was on a prorated basis and could earn him as high as $225k if the team won the Super Bowl.

The rest, as they say, is history was the veteran safety took the deal and led the Rams to a Super Bowl win against San Francisco 49ers, with 61 defensive snaps and five tackles. Notably, the Rams lost six consecutive matches against the 49ers and even faced a 10-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter that season.

Having said that, whether the same can happen to Aaron Donald if the team needs him in future, remains to ve se. However, it is up to Donald to accept the deal or reject it. But it would be flattering to know that the team still cares about him after all this time of retirement.