Aaron Donald retired on March 15, 2024, after 10 years of dominating NFL Offenses, but his name has popped back into the conversation, as Steelers legend James Harrison called on him after retirement speculations ran rampant.

The buzz started building as the Rams continued stacking talent on defense and positioning themselves as a serious Super Bowl contender again. That's when former Steelers linebacker Harrison weighed in with a pretty blunt message aimed at keeping Donald away from a comeback.

“Aaron Charles Donald, keep your a** at home. Don’t come out of retirement now… don’t you do it,” Harrison said on The Deebo & Joe Show on June 9. “If you come back, you’re letting these people control you. Don’t let them pull you back in.”

Donald had acknowledged to Pat McAfee that the idea of returning had crossed his mind, especially after the Myles Garrett trade.

In 154 games, Donald recorded 111 sacks and 543 tackles. A 10-time Pro Bowler, 8-time All-Pro, and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, he helped win Super Bowl LVI and is widely regarded as one of the greatest interior linemen ever.

For now, Donald hasn't made any official move, but the conversation around a possible return is not slowing down. But Harrison isn’t the only one talking about Donald’s potential comeback. His teammate Cooper Kupp has also chimed in.

Donald Comeback Talk Grows as Cooper Kupp Shares Private Text

Speaking during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Kupp shared that he had already reached out to the former Los Angeles Rams star directly to discourage any thoughts of a comeback.

“I already texted him and told him he’s not allowed. So we’re good… I texted Aaron and said, ‘Don’t even think about it,’” Kupp said. “I left it at that, so we’re good. I’m not worried about it. I already nipped it in the bud. No one has to worry.”

Kupp's tone made it clear that it wasn’t anything serious or official, more of teammates' way of looking out, while also showing how highly Donald is still regarded within the league.

The discussion around Donald has been floating around in the background as the Rams continue to stay in win-now mode, but there has been no confirmation or clear signal from the former Defensive Player of the Year himself.

For now, it remains just a conversation as the speculations linger.

Do you think Donald should come back?

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Written by

Debanjali Rakshit

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi