LOS ANGELES -- Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald did not practice Monday, something coach Sean McVay said "was part of the plan all along."
McVay reiterated that he didn't want to put a timeline on when Donald will play his first game after being retired for two years. But he did not rule out Donald not traveling to Melbourne, Australia, to play in the Rams' season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10.
"Oh, yeah, absolutely," McVay said when asked whether there was a scenario Donald doesn't play in Week 1. "That could be a possibility. I wouldn't rule anything out yet.
"But what I think is really good for us is if he's able to go, great. If not, that's kind of how we've been operating as is. And guys have done an excellent job of being able to do some really cool stuff in the meantime. And so, if he's not ready and that's not what's best for him and for the team, absolutely wouldn't have him playing Australia unnecessarily."
Donald initially retired in March 2024 after 10 NFL seasons. On Sunday, he agreed to a one-year, $20 million deal with playoff incentives that can raise the total value of the deal to $30 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
On Sunday, during Donald's first practice back with the team, the defensive tackle took part in individual drills. McVay said Monday that the Rams are still working out how the team will handle Donald's ramp-up and practice schedule.
"After he did a good job of getting some individual, figured we'd kind of just pull back a little bit," McVay said Monday. "And he did a lot of stuff right now, just it was inside, it was kind of just off the field. So, we'll see how he's feeling, and we'll continue to just ... I know it's annoying as hell, just saying taking it a day at a time, but it is a unique thing that this has never been done before."
Donald is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time first-team All-Pro, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year. The 35-year-old has 111 sacks, the second most among primary defensive tackles in a career (behind John Randle's 137.5) since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
McVay said though he and Donald have talked about his potential role with the Rams this season, the group has not determined what that will look like.
"I think a lot of it is contingent upon how does he feel," McVay said. "You know, we haven't even done 11-on-11 football with him yet. So, I think the first steps are let's get him into some of those settings, see what that really looks like, and then he'll kind of help lead and guide us in terms of what that looks like to maximize him in addition to the other guys in that room."
