After a disastrous 2022 season, the Los Angeles Rams looked like a team that would be in flux considering how many moving parts were expected to be addressed.
The first major domino was Sean McVay’s decision and it was a good one as the head coach announced he would return for the 2023 season after taking time to mull over his immediate future. Matthew Stafford also had to publicly come out and say that he was coming back for next season after unsubstantiated rumors popped up about his potential retirement following an injury-riddled campaign.
As has been the case the past couple of seasons, Aaron Donald’s future came into question as he has flirted with retirement following Super Bowl LVI. Talk of Donald retiring heated up when he changed his Twitter bio to say “former NFL D Linemen for the Rams.”
However, in a response to a clip posted by “The Season with Peter Schrager” where Peter Schrager and Chris Long discuss Donald’s future, the Rams star himself confirmed he is playing in 2023, via his Twitter account:
What to make of Aaron Donald’s future in LA?
@JOEL9ONE and I discuss if he could finish his career somewhere other than LA.
Pittsburgh?!@gmfb @NFLMedia @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/ypBP9fvk57
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 18, 2023
Fans have to feel relieved that Donald said he intends on playing during the 2023 season, though in the segment Long does bring up a good point about Los Angeles’ predicament. After falling short this year, the Rams may take next season to recalibrate or reset the roster and that might not be something Donald would want to be a part of. If that’s the direction the franchise chooses to go down, Donald could very well ask out and seek to play elsewhere so he can continue competing for championships.
It’s a noteworthy conversation to have given how much turnover Los Angeles is expected to have in the offseason, but the organization has always been aggressive about their title window and trading away Donald doesn’t feel like it’s in their DNA. Instead, the Rams might look to trade other veterans on the team in order to clear up cap room and keep Donald the center of their defense.
How things play out in the coming months is anybody’s guess, but with players like Stafford and Cooper Kupp in place and McVay returning, then it’s fairly safe bet L.A. does its best to retool its roster and give themselves an honest shot at another Super Bowl.
