For all the speculation surrounding Aaron Donald’s potential return to the Los Angeles Rams, one important part of the equation has not yet begun.

Donald and the Rams still haven’t talked money.

Los Angeles has spent much of the summer trying to lure Donald out of retirement after adding Myles Garrett, but ESPN’s Peter Schrager suggested Donald may need more than confidence in his body before committing. He may also need the Rams to show just how badly they want him back.

“There has to also be this feeling that the Rams are welcoming him in because the numbers have to make sense. We’re not even at the numbers yet,” Schrager said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “And here we are, August 28th, about 10 days away from when they fly out to Australia, and we don’t have him on board.”

That could eventually mean a sizable offer.

Donald would presumably expect to be paid top dollar if he came out of retirement. He had one season remaining on the three-year, $95 million contract he signed with Los Angeles before retiring, and there has been little indication that a comeback would come at a major discount.

If Donald believes he can still resemble the player who earned 10 consecutive Pro Bowl selections and recorded eight sacks in his final season, the Rams may have to pay accordingly. Coming out of retirement at 35 would mean putting his body through another NFL season after already walking away on his own terms.

Donald left roughly $30 million on the table when he retired. That doesn’t mean the Rams would simply hand him another $30 million, but a lucrative one-year agreement with guarantees, bonuses or incentives could be necessary to make a return worthwhile.

The problem is that those conversations apparently haven’t even started.

And now time has become a very real factor.

Los Angeles is now days away from leaving for Australia ahead of its Sept. 10 opener against San Francisco. If Donald decides he wants another season, the Rams would still need to settle on a price, structure the contract and determine how quickly he can be ready for meaningful snaps.

Donald is still deciding whether he can be Aaron Donald again.

If the answer is yes, the Rams may have to pay like they believe it, too.

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