INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay playfully used the jubilation of Wednesday's Super Bowl parade to coax the NFL's best defensive player out of potential retirement, however faint those thoughts might have been in the first place.
On a makeshift stage in front of the L.A. Coliseum, with the Olympic torch lit and thousands of fans gathered in anticipation, McVay gestured to Aaron Donald just as the Rams defensive tackle was wrapping up a short speech.
«Aaron — Sean McVay just tapped me on the shoulder,» emcee J.B. Long announced. «He wanted to know if you were interested in running it back.»
Then McVay began a not-so-subtle chant.
Run it back! Run it back! Run it back!
«We built a super team, we can bring the super team back,» Donald said, igniting boisterous cheers, most notably from McVay. «Why not run it back? We can be world champs again!»
That moment seemed to quell concerns that McVay, the 36-year-old head coach who has reached two Super Bowls in five seasons, and Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Pro heading into his age-31 season, would suddenly retire after the championship-winning 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.
Both recently left that possibility open. McVay, who spoke introspectively about eventually attaining a healthier work-life balance in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, responded to a question on Monday about returning in 2022 with, «We'll see.» Prior to Sunday's game, former NFL safety and current NBC analyst Rodney Harrison stated that there's «a strong possibility» Donald retires if the Rams win the Super Bowl, even though three years remain on his contract.
Donald was noncommittal on Sunday night, but his comments
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