Myles Garrett said he won’t attempt to convince Aaron Donald to come out of retirement to be his “partner in crime” with the Los Angeles Rams.
That will be Donald’s decision to make, Garrett told reporters at training camp on Wednesday.
“I’d love to learn from him,” Garrett said. “I’ve watched his tape. Everyone who’s been a rusher from anywhere across the line, they have a lot of respect for him. I don’t want to push him in one way or another. If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime.
“And I think we can do great things, but it’s a difficult thing coming back, and I know he has a family. He has a lot of decisions to make. Last thing he needs is me to push him in one direction or another. I’m gonna support him either way and I look forward to seeing whatever happens.”
Donald, 35, still follows a demanding and carefully structured routine similar to the one he used during his playing career. The process is intended to show Donald whether his body can withstand the physical demands of another season after two years away from the game.
Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett, in turn, has won the award in two of the past three seasons.
Donald retired in March 2024 after spending all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Rams. He recorded 111 sacks, earned eight first-team All-Pro selections and was named to the Pro Bowl in every season of his career.
He last played during the 2023 season, finishing with eight sacks and 53 tackles while earning another first-team All-Pro selection.
Garrett was acquired by the Rams in a June 1 trade that sent Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks, including a first-round selection in 2027, to the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett, 30, had an NFL-record 23 sacks for the Browns last season. His 125.5 career sacks equate to an average of 15.9 per season. He also led the league with 33 tackles for loss last season.
The five-time All-Pro selection was the first overall draft pick of the Browns in 2017 and had 412 tackles, 149 tackles for loss and 239 quarterback hits in 134 games (131 starts) with Cleveland.
