All posts by : Don Lichterman

The draft is over, free agency slows down, training camp remains weeks away, and an entire industry suddenly finds itself searching for something, anything, to discuss.

Every NFL offseason eventually reaches the same point. The draft is over, free agency slows down, training camp remains weeks away, and an entire industry suddenly finds itself searching for something, anything, to discuss. Sometimes that search produces meaningful football conversations. Other times it produces storylines that take on a life of their own despite having little connection to reality. Read the Full Substack Article!

The Los Angeles Rams are currently living through one of those moments with the Aaron Donald comeback speculation. Honestly, it is becoming annoying to watch. It feels as though people are chasing ad revenue and creating drama where none really exists. Once again, a story built largely on speculation is being treated as something much bigger than it actually is, and it has become increasingly annoying to see.

What bothers me most is that much of this story appears to have originated from people who have little connection to the Rams, the organization, or even the realities of the NFL. In one case, the agency pushing the narrative is based in the United Kingdom and seemed more interested in generating attention through a conspiracy theory than presenting a legitimate football argument. They were essentially looking for credit for creating a rumor rather than reporting actual news.

The problem is that there is very little football science behind any of it. There is no evidence of contract negotiations, no scheduled workouts, no official meetings, and no indication that Aaron Donald is actively pursuing a return. Yet the speculation continues to grow because it generates clicks, engagement, and discussion during a slow period of the NFL calendar.

If you read the press release I received last week, which, again, is included below, you will understand exactly why I found the entire thing so ridiculous. My immediate reaction was simple, what exactly are we doing here?

Then, yesterday, I saw the story in Sports Illustrated. At that point, my reaction became, what the fuck are we doing here? To be fair, I did not read the article itself. I only saw the headline. Even so, the fact that this speculation had reached that level of visibility was annoying given how little substance actually exists behind the story. Read the Full Substack Article!