He made another visit to McVay’s office the next off-
season, when contract negotiations stalled once more.
To his wunderkind coach, he said, “As long as you are
here, I want to be part of your legacy with you. I want
to play for you.”
Donald signed the extension that summer. At six years,
for up to $135 million (with $87 million guaranteed), it
marked the largest deal ever signed by an NFL defensive
player. In that 2018 season, he netted 20.5 sacks. He
also deeply he missed his children. As Super Bowl LIII
approached, he promised Jaeda they would celebrate in
Atlanta by making confetti angels.
After the Patriots prevailed, Jaeda hugged him, but
she was sobbing. “Daddy, I thought you said we would
play in the confetti.”
No longer all that certain about football, the promise
he had inadvertently broken propelled Donald forward.
He needed a title to make good on his vow. He hadn’t
yet considered what it might be like if he won that, too.A
S MCVAY WATCHED The Last Dance, the docu-
mentary about Michael Jordan’s final season with
the Chicago Bulls, Jordan sometimes reminded him of
Donald. Not in size, or personality, but in how hard Jordan
pushed everyone—especially himself. “Greatness comes
with a price,” McVay says. The coach sometimes studied
his star defender as a father, and when he noticed the
love and attention Donald showered on his children, it
confirmed how much he wanted a family of his own.
He also saw the stress. “I’ve witnessed,” McVay says,
“what it takes for him.”
Tom Brady also understands the toll. In an email, he
describes Donald as an “impossible matchup” and a
“dominant player no matter who he goes against,” who
isn’t “content unless he wins every play.” There’s a cost
to that approach as well: the rest of one’s life.
Donald doesn’t rule out leaving football for a season
or two and coming back, the way Jordan did. He also
doesn’t dismiss staying for multiple seasons.
If he does return, Donald wants what he asked
Kroenke for at the parade. The Rams must re-sign
critical players like Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. They
must be positioned to make another run. More than
anything, Donald says, McVay must be his coach. That
seems likely, and in a private moment after the parade,
he told McVay, “I was here before you and couldn’t get
the job done. We need you. You can’t leave.”
In the weeks ahead, Donald will trade revelry for ref lec-
tion. Retire? Or return? For now, he vacillates. Football
heaven is addicting, just as Miller promised it would be.
Donald already craves the euphoria. He wants to rip his
shirt off on a parade route next season. But what about
his children who live in Pittsburgh? God, he misses them.
And maybe the moment when he was making confetti
angels with Jaeda blended his separate worlds into perfect
harmony, all the familial sacrifices traded for a shared
triumph none of the Donalds will ever forget.
Those placing bets should put their money on another
season. But it’s far from the certainty that has been
hopefully described. Donald’s confidants believe he’s
split between his choices, with plenty of thinking left.
Even McVay hunted for clues. In Cabo San Lucas with his
defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, they FaceTimed
once again with Donald. They had heard he was house
hunting (disaster?)... in greater Los Angeles (relief !). They
jokingly hoped Erica would find the most expensive man-
sion on the market, so her husband would need to work.
Donald’s dilemma can be understood in one photo-
graph, a stunning image snapped from behind him at
the parade. He’s on the stage, shirtless, of course, holding
the Lombardi Trophy in his right hand. The diehards
down below are screaming, sharing in his jubilance.
Viewed one way, the shot looks like the pinnacle, the
moment when there’s nothing left to accomplish, and
it’s time for a champion to go full dad. Viewed from
another angle, it’s a king standing before his kingdom,
and rather than retire, he’s ready to rule.SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED
SI.COM
APRIL 2022
KO 27
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