LOS ANGELES -- After seeing Jared Verse challenge Aaron Donald to a workout this offseason, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay decided to have fun in a team meeting.
"I got Jared pretty good last week where I faked like Aaron was here," McVay said Tuesday. "I said, 'How many guys have seen what's going on between Jared and Aaron?' A lot of guys raised their hand. I said, 'Everybody, welcome Aaron Donald!'
"And Verse, he sits in the front left. He looked like he was going to s--- himself. It was great."
Verse, the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, first said on the Adam Schefter podcast last week that he had seen Donald's "little Instagram posts with the bench and the dumbbell bench" and said: "He can get at me whenever he's ready."
The next day, Donald invited Verse to his house to do the "old man retirement workout." Donald retired in March 2023 after 10 seasons in the NFL.
After the pair worked out together Friday, Verse posted a photo of the two together on X.
I tried to test a legend.. in @AaronDonald97 And he responded with a workout from hell. Learned my lesson. Respect OG 💯😮💨 pic.twitter.com/FoJhLN19QI
— Jared Verse (@JaredVerse1) June 6, 2025
McVay said Donald FaceTimed him that day, "when Verse was in the corner still sucking some wind."
"You know what I respect though, that Jared ended up following through and going over there," McVay said. "And it was fun. ... I loved it that they went over there. I know that it was all good and fun, but Aaron still takes pretty good care of himself. I texted Jared. I said, I loved it that you went over there. He said, 'Yeah, I'm not messing with legends anymore.' So I thought that was great."
