Rams Target Super Bowl Champs During Uniform Reveal. Is Aaron Donald’s Return Next?

LOS ANGELES — The NFL’s newest Super Team and heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl want all the smoke. That’s according to the Los Angeles Rams’ newest addition, reigning league Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who made that clear at the team’s unveiling of new uniforms in front of a packed house of season ticket holders at the YouTube Theater on Thursday. When Garrett was asked which NFC West team he looked forward to playing this season, he pointed north on I-5 to the Pacific Northwest and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. “I want the champs,” Garrett said, with a rowdy crowd roaring its approval. “They won it all, and I’ve got to see what that’s about. They feel like they’ve got the pieces to run it back, and I feel like we’ve got the pieces to take over.” With one of the most loaded rosters in recent memory, Rams MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford said he embraces the challenge, operating in the ultra-competitive environment of Los Angeles since relocating from St. Louis 10 years ago. The Rams took a similar approach in 2021, loading up on stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey and Eric Weddle, which led to the team’s first Super Bowl victory since moving back to Los Angeles five years ago. That Super Bowl was played at their home field, SoFi Stadium, which is where this season’s Super Bowl will be played, too. “I’ve been around long enough to know that you have to go out and earn it every day,” Stafford said. “And that’s really the fun part, is getting to earn that, right? Not sitting here and talking about it, seeing what we look like on paper. So, well OK, let’s go out there and pump the football up, and see if we can score some points and stop some people. That’s kind of where my head’s at.” Rams team president Kevin Demoff addressed the most pressing question this offseason of defensive game wrecker Aaron Donald potentially returning, saying the franchise will continue to take a patient approach in the possibility of the four-time Defensive Player of the Year playing football again after retiring two years ago. “We don’t have a ring, or a Lombardi Trophy or a banner if not for Aaron Donald,” Demoff said. “I think Sean [McVay] said it best yesterday. If Aaron wants to return, we will wait with open arms. It’s his decision, his choice. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wake up refreshing social media, seeing if there’s a post or hoping that there’s a text that says, ‘You up?” Added Stafford: “Whatever’s right for him will be right for all of us.” While the team hasn’t set a timetable for Donald to decide whether to potentially unretire, a league source close to Donald told me he is leaning toward returning. Donald participated in a workout in full pads at the team’s facility two weeks ago. As for the matter at hand on Thursday night, the two alternate uniforms the Rams introduced — “Classic Sol” and “Fearsome White” — celebrate the franchise’s championship history and iconic legacy, according to the team. The “Classic Sol” uniform celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Rams’ 1951 championship team, while the “Fearsome White” honors the legendary Fearsome Foursome defensive line of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier that dominated the NFL during the 1960s and early 1970s. Grier, the oldest living former Ram at 94 years old, attended the uniform unveiling. “These uniforms are a celebration and reminder of the moments and people that built the Rams into what and who we are today,” said Kathryn Kai-Iing Frederick, chief marketing officer for the Rams. “Every detail was intentionally designed to honor the grit and greatness of our history while delivering a modern look for today’s players and fans.” The Rams will wear the Classic Sol uniform — a combination of yellow jersey and white pants — for the first time in a Week 2 home contest against the New York Giants. The Rams will also wear them in a Week 13 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The debut of the Fearsome White combination will be on their Thanksgiving Eve home matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Hall of Fame running back and Rams legend Eric Dickerson was on hand for the unveiling. Dickerson told me he wasn’t a fan of the Classic Sol and still wants the franchise to return to the classic horns look on the team’s helmets. But he praised the Rams for paying respect to the team’s history with the return to the traditional all-white uniforms. “It kind of reminds me of the Fearsome Foursome,” Dickerson said. “I wish we would have worn those uniforms.”