Former Rams S Eric Weddle: What It Would Take for Aaron Donald to Unretire

If anyone can speak to the idea of a legend coming back for one more run, it is Eric Weddle, who once did exactly that for the Rams in the playoffs. So when the rumor started that acquiring Myles Garrett might be the one thing that could coax Aaron Donald out of retirement, Rich went straight to the source.

Weddle did not dismiss it. Physically, he said, Donald could absolutely do it.

"He's much more of a specimen freak than I ever was," Weddle said, waving off any concern about ramping back up. For a player at Donald's position, the prep is mostly weights and short-area quickness, and Weddle figured the last four weeks of a season would be enough to get his feet wet.

The catch is everything else. Weddle's message to older players is blunt: once it's done, it's done. A return only works if the desire is total.

"If you love it, and you are all in on the grind and the preparation and the pain and the sacrifice and being away from your family, I say go do it," Weddle said. "But if there's an ounce of doubt," knowing the nights you cannot move or sleep after games are coming, it is not worth it. That, he admitted, is why he walked away himself.

The part fans do not see is the mental load, and that is where Weddle kept returning. At this stage of a career, the job is not just playing at a high level on Sundays. It is leading, teaching young players how to study film and take notes, showing up early, rehabbing, managing injuries.

"It's so much more than just what you see on Sundays, and that mental grind takes a toll," he said. Clear that bar, and the body will follow.

Weddle also flagged a wrinkle the highlight-reel version ignores: chemistry. Dropping the best player ever into a locker room midseason is not as simple as it sounds.

"How is everyone going to handle that?" he asked. Starters would lose reps, the rotation would shift, and the whole room would have to buy in. His own comeback, he stressed, was a different animal. The Rams called out of pure necessity, with nobody else and injuries piling up at his spot. This would be a choice, not a rescue.

Still, Weddle could not pretend he would not love to watch it. Rich compared the prospect to an Avengers blockbuster, and Weddle agreed it would be awesome to see Donald back wreaking havoc, getting sacks and forcing fumbles. He just knows better than most that a player like that is not a machine you simply turn back on.