Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Andrew Whitworth is seen on the Thursday Night Football set before the game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Exclusive: Andrew Whitworth talks Aaron Donald, Joe Burrow, Super Bowl favorites

By D.J. Siddiqi

Andrew Whitworth was one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL during his 16-season NFL career.

The 44-year-old spent his first 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals (2006-2016) and the final five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-2021), winning the Super Bowl in his final game. If there's anyone that knows these two franchises better than anybody, it's the four-time Pro Bowler.

The Rams are coming off of a stellar season, advancing to the NFC Championship Game and coming within a possession of defeating the Seattle Seahawks to advance to the Super Bowl. They've beefed up in the offseason, acquiring reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who is coming off of a record-breaking 23-sack season.

Unsurprisingly, they'll enter the season as the Super Bowl favorites. But they may not be done adding pieces. That's because Aaron Donald, the former longtime Rams defensive tackle who has won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, is reportedly contemplating coming out of a two-year retirement in an attempt to help the Rams win the Super Bowl a second time.

Whitworth -- who teamed up with Donald in Los Angeles from 2017-2021 -- said he’s been trying to get his ex-teammate to spill the beans about a potential comeback.

"I've been trying to get him to give me a percentage for about two weeks now," Whitworth told Casino.ca in an exclusive interview ahead of his participation in the American Century Championship. "I just want him to give me something I can get excited about. He won't do it. He's holding out the information on me. But we've talked about it a little bit, and I think for him, he's a guy, he's like me. I work out probably more now than I did when I played, and so I think AD still trains a ton."

Donald is widely regarded as the best defensive player of his generation, clinching a Pro Bowl berth during every one of his seasons in the NFL (2014-2023). The addition of Garrett -- the most dominant defensive player today -- would alleviate the pressure on Donald and make things easier for the future Hall of Fame defensive tackle.

That combined with the possibility of winning another Super Bowl could be enough to sway Donald into coming out of retirement.

"Listen, if Aaron Donald makes that decision, I know it's going to be from a place of his heart is in it, and at that point it becomes scary,” Whitworth said. “Having the potential to do it and the opportunity to do it, that's the easy part for that guy. It's whether he wants to. He's one of the rarest humans I've ever been around. Not just physically, just in general. How he works and his determination is one of one. If he decides it's go time, watch out."

Whitworth: Rams aren’t clear Super Bowl favorites

When asked if the Rams are the obvious Super Bowl favorites with Garrett in the equation, Whitworth isn't ready to crown them just yet, saying that it's a "long road" and that "injuries" play a major role.

He also acknowledged that the Seahawks are a major threat, losing only running back Kenneth Walker in the offseason and that other NFL teams could be ready to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season.

"There's a lot of good football teams, and a lot of teams that are out there with a little bit of resurgence themselves," said Whitworth. "You look at the Chiefs and some of their changes, you look at the Eagles and Sean Mannion coming in. That's still a very talented roster. It's good to see what he does with them, and how good they can be running something similar to what (Sean) McVay and (Kyle) Shanahan do.

“I'm excited to see some of these teams that have an answer that maybe we've forgotten about. And hey, the Seahawks have been quiet all offseason, but they're still the same team, basically outside the running back. So it'll be interesting to see who they are too."

Whitworth: I’d be “shocked” if Joe Burrow leaves Bengals

When the topic pivots to the Bengals and Joe Burrow's future in Cincinnati, Whitworth believes a lot of it is chatter. There has been concern that the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and two-time Comeback Player of the Year could be looking at his final days in Cincinnati, with the Bengals having missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons.

However, Whitworth believes Burrow is there for the long haul as somebody who is from Ohio and considering the Bengals have done everything to surround him with a proper supporting cast.

"I mean, he's an Ohio guy," Whitworth said. "I think sometimes that it sounds fun to (speculate). I don't know if it's real reality though. I think that Cincinnati loves him. I think that organization has built everything around him. I'd be shocked if he's not the guy there, and he's not their future. I just really would.

“I think it's a fun narrative, and I think it mainly comes because of the Carson Palmer situation in Cincinnati. But we're talking about an Ohio guy. He's got a lot of pride in that city. He's got a lot of pride in being a part of Ohio. And that being his home state, how could a guy have more commitment from an organization? You’ve got to look at it since he got there to who they are now."

Whitworth: Burrow must repay Bengals’ trust in him

Whitworth puts the onus on Burrow to start doing his part by helping lead the Bengals back into contention. He has missed 16 games over the past three seasons due to injuries, which is a big reason the Bengals haven't been in the playoffs in years.

"They have jumped through hoops, when you talk about an organization that didn't change for anyone at any point for any reason,” Whitworth said. “They have changed everything they do since Joe Burrow became their quarterback. From trades to draft to spending money to you name it, they have done it. I think that maybe a couple years ago you could say (they need to do more), but now with them paying his receivers, with them making this massive Dexter Lawrence trade, some of the offseason money they've spent. It's like, ‘What else could they possibly do to show him that they're committed to try to win?

“I think at this point, what I think is cool about it is, they've almost put the ball back in his court and said, "Alright, we've done everything we can do to try and be different. At some point now we’ve got to get something back from it.”

Whitworth said Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor need to produce now that the front office has done its job in giving them tools to succeed.

"We’ve continued to keep the guys you guys say is important that we keep, and now we've even gone out and made some splash moves," Whitworth said. "Where do we go this year? I think this is a big year, not just for Joe Burrow. I think it’s a big year for Zac Taylor, and really the direction of the organization in general, because they've taken the swings and now they’ve got to see a team that lives up to those expectations."