Talk that Aaron Donald could come out of retirement and return to the Rams had Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp reaching out to Donald directly, and telling him not to do it.
Kupp told Rich Eisen that he reached out to Donald and told him he needs to stay retired.
“I already texted him and told him he’s not allowed. So we’re good,” Kupp joked. “I texted Aaron and said, ‘Don’t even think about it.’ I left it at that, so we’re good. I’m not worried about it. I already nipped it in the bud. No one has to worry.”
Kupp said the Seahawks know they’re going to have their hands full this season with the players already on the Rams, and an already tough defense adding Donald is something Kupp does not want to see.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I love Aaron. He’s such a good football player, great dude.I loved taking the field with him in L.A. I don’t know what’s going to happen. That would be crazy. He’s a very, very good football player. I don’t care how old he is, how long he’s not played, Aaron Donald is Aaron Donald. But it doesn’t matter because I told him he can’t.”
Kupp and Donald were teammates on the Rams from 2017 to 2023. Kupp has never played against Donald, and wants to keep it that way.
The narrow gap between the Seahawks and Rams may have been closed, and then some, with this week’s acquisition of defensive end Myles Garrett by L.A.
Meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold was asked about the move.
“Myles is a great player,” Darnold said. “Shoot, Jared Verse is a great player as well, but I don’t think we see them until Week 16, so we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
He’s right. Arguably the best current rivalry in football won’t be renewed until Christmas, with a prime-time game between the two best teams in the league from 2025.
That gives Darnold and the Seahawks 15 weeks of the regular season to not have to worry about Garrett. After a Saturday, December 19, game at the Eagles, the Seahawks will have six days to get ready for the guy who managed to rack up 23.0 sacks in 2025.
Russell Wilson has made it official.
In a social-media video posted on Wednesday, Wilson announced his retirement from the NFL and confirmed that he will be working for CBS, on The NFL Today.
A third-round pick in 2012, Wilson won the starting job as a rookie, beating out free-agent arrival Matt Flynn.
Wilson made it to the Pro Bowl nine times in 10 seasons with the Seahawks. Traded to the Broncos in 2022, he had two seasons in Denver, one in Pittsburgh, and one with the Giants.
The Jets had interest in adding Wilson as a backup to Geno Smith, who once backed up Wilson in Seattle. Ultimately, Wilson chose TV over continuing to play.
In the years to come, Wilson’s Hall of Fame candidacy will be debated. Former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said on Tuesday’s PFT Live that Wilson was in the second tier of NFL quarterbacks during McCourty’s career, which largely overlapped with Wilson’s.
Still, Wilson had a strong run in the NFL. He defied his size, won a Super Bowl, and was the highest-paid player in the NFL, twice.
The Seahawks have reached a new deal with one of their key defensive players.
Seattle and edge rusher Derick Hall have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter notes Hall’s new contract is worth $42 million, which could move up to $46.5 million, with $21 million guaranteed. It ties Hall to the organization through 2029.
Hall, 25, was the No. 37 overall pick of the 2023 draft. He has appeared in 48 games with 17 starts over his first three years, tallying 10.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 38 QB hits. He recorded 2.0 sacks in Super Bowl LX to help Seattle cruise to victory over New England.
Seattle had acquired the pick that the club used to draft Hall in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver.
Russell Wilson is staying in New York. But he won’t be playing for the Jets.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, Wilson is “finalizing a deal” to become an analyst with CBS.
Wilson will be joining The NFL Today, which currently features James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher. A seat opened when Matt Ryan left to become the Falcons’ president of football.
The Jets were considering Wilson as a veteran backup to Geno Smith, who once was Wilson’s backup in Seattle. Wilson has said he had an offer from the Jets.
It’s rare for any quarterback who was once the highest-paid player in the league to happily accept the second spot on a depth chart. (Joe Flacco is the one of the most significant exceptions.) Wilson was the Giants’ starter when he signed there in 2025, and he was the Steelers’ starter when he signed there in 2024. His days as a starter are and were over.
As to the biggest TV opportunities, those seats don’t always pop open. With Ryan exiting, there was a current opportunity for Wilson. If he didn’t take it now, it may not have been there in a year.
Wilson, a third-round pick out of Wisconsin, started for the Seahawks from 2012 through 2021. He was traded to the Broncos in 2022.
A Super Bowl winner and a 10-time Pro Bowler, Wilson was never a first-team All-Pro or a serious MVP candidate. At 16th on the all-time passing yardage list and 12th on the all-time passing touchdown list, he’ll have a somewhat challenging case to get to Canton.
That’s where a great career in TV can make a difference. Yes, the debate will be about his playing career. And, yes, his case will get stronger if he becomes a successful and enduring presence in NFL broadcast universe.
